


Accept Me As I Am

by ncsupnatfan



Series: Sam's Powers [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Drama, Family Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Supernatural Elements, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 18:54:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 62,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25990150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ncsupnatfan/pseuds/ncsupnatfan
Summary: This is the second story in a trilogy in this AU. It is best to read Is This The Real Me? first to know what happened previously. We find out what lies ahead for the brothers, the hardships and problems they will face. Will Sam's family be able to accept him now?
Series: Sam's Powers [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1743853
Comments: 88
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Welcome back my dear readers to the second story of this trilogy. This one picks up where we left off on the first one. We continue the journey with the brothers and see what lies ahead of them. I hope you enjoy the read. Comments would be great. NC**

* * *

It felt like Dean’s whole body was frozen in place, he couldn’t move, he couldn’t speak; all he could do was watch his little brother look at him with despair, sadness, and anguish, before turning and stumbling from the room. The scene played out again in his head but this time he was in a motel room and their father and Sam were arguing over him going to college. He did not make any move to stop him then and he was not going to let that happen again. Dean broke out of his trance and hurried to the door calling his brother’s name as the double doors at the end of the hall swung shut.

“I can’t let this happen again, I’m going after him,” Dean turned to say to Bobby and John.

“Wait son, that might not be wise,” John spoke in a tired voice. Too much had happened too quickly, and he was feeling the effects of his injuries, the surgery, and the shock of realizing his youngest might be a monster. He did not know how to explain to his oldest what little he knew without it sounding crazy. He may have lost one son tonight, he just hoped he did not lose another.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to ask you to leave now,” a nurse told them when she came in to check John’s vital. “Mr. Winchester how are you feeling? You seem a little agitated, are you in pain?” She put the blood pressure cuff around his arm and hit the button on the machine to pump it up.

“C’mon Dean, we need to let yer Daddy rest,” Bobby told him taking his arm to guide him from the room. “We can come back when visiting hours start.”

Dean gazed at his father for a moment, before allowing Bobby to move him. “Get some rest,” Dean told him before stepping from the room.

Bobby led them to the waiting room outside the stepdown unit and went inside. He looked around seeing a couple asleep on one couch and moved to the other side of the room so they would not disturb them. He spoke quietly to Dean. “What are you thinking Dean?”

“I’m thinking I need to go find my brother. I don’t know what happened to him while he was missing, but that doesn’t matter. He’s still my little brother and nothing is going to change that. He needs me right now and I need him.”

“What about yer Daddy?”

Dean looked away and huffed madly. He had a responsibility to him too, especially since he was injured. Every fiber in his body was saying go find your brother, but his mind was telling him to at least wait until morning to be sure John was going to be okay. After several moments he finally answered Bobby. “I’ll stay until the morning to be sure there’s no complications. Can you stay with him until he’s discharged? The longer I’m here the further away Sam will get and I’m not going to lose him again.”

“I know you want to go after him son, but it’s not that long until morning and it wouldn’t hurt to try and get a little sleep if you’re determined to leave. You did turn on the GPS on his cell, so you’ll know where he’s at. I doubt he’ll be thinking about his cell and I kind of doubt he’ll be going very far. Sam is as tired as we are, and he’ll probably find a motel to stop at somewhere. Why don’t we settle down here and try to catch a couple of hours of sleep?” Bobby suggested. He knew how tired he was and even though Dean was younger, he could tell how exhausted and weary he seemed and add to that the stress over Sam would not make it safe for him to drive.

“I guess you’re right. I don’t think Sam will think about his cell, so I’ll get my laptop in the morning and see where he’s at. He doesn’t need to be going through whatever this is alone.”

“I agree with you son, but maybe Sam needs a little space too. Our reactions to what he said weren’t the best and you know that had to hit him hard. He could see what we though on our faces and it made him run. We don’t know what he’s thinking right now, maybe he just needs a little time to sort it all out.”

“Did you get the feeling there was something Dad didn’t tell us that he knows about Sam? I know he started to say something, but Sam interrupted him.”

“I can’t rightly say. Your Daddy can be tight lipped about things when he wants to be. Now quiet down and get some rest,” he mumbled as he flipped up the footrest of the recliner and leaned back. He settled down and glanced over at Dean to see he was stretched out on the couch with an arm slung over his face to block the dim lighting in the room. He knew how desperate Dean was to go after Sam but could not see him getting in an accident because he fell asleep at the wheel. Bobby was almost certain of his words to Dean that Sam would not be going that far away and hoped he was smart enough to get a motel room and get some rest too. He hoped things would look better in the morning, at least he hoped so.

**spn**

John watched them walk out of the room and brought his attention back to the nurse as she asked him questions. He listened to her explain they would be waking him up every hour because of his concussion and later in the morning he would be going to radiology for a head MRI to be sure everything looked okay. She asked about his pain levels and if he needed pain meds, which he said yes to. The pain was increasing behind his eyes and he did not want to let it get worse. She went out to get the meds and some fresh water.

“Alright, here we go,” the nurse said coming back into the room with pain meds and water. She gave him the pills and let him sip some water before sitting the cup on the stand at the head of his bed. “If you need anything press the call button. I’ll be back in an hour to check on you.” She dimmed the lights before leaving the room to make it more comfortable for him.

“Thank you,” John replied. He lowered the head of the bed slightly to get settled. His body ached from his ordeal with the ghouls and his shoulder was stiff and tender where he had been shot. He should have figured that there were two of them with the higher number of missing persons in the area. One had been bait to lure him in and the other had got the drop on him. Some of the details were still fuzzy in his mind but all that mattered was they were dead and would not be eating any more people.

His thoughts went to his youngest son and what Sam had told them. The yellow eyed demon was dead because Sam killed it. John could not even guess how he did it. In all his research, the only thing that he could find that would come close to doing that was a special gun made by Samuel Colt back in the 1800’s. The Colt was thought to be a myth and not real, but John knew differently. He had been looking for it for several years now, knowing that was the only way he could take the Demon out and finally get his revenge and protect his sons. 

When several of the demons he questioned told him the same story about a force stronger than Azazel that killed him, the _‘Boy King’_ , they called him, he finally believed it. He was not sure what that name meant if it was a kid that was going to rule Hell or be a leader for the demons. Now he understood they were talking about Sam. Sam was young and possessed tremendous unknown powers and Azazel wanted him for a reason, but somehow, he freed himself and killed the bastard. But did that mean he wasn’t evil? But if he had unknown powers, would that turn him evil? Would he lose his son to forces he could not protect him from? If other hunters found out about Sam, would that be a death sentence for him? Would Dean be safe with Sam? There were too many questions and not enough answers. John rolled his head to the side and tried to will the increased pounding in his head to go away.

The Demon was dead, and John felt lost because his one mission in life had been taken away from him. He should feel elated and relieved that the hunt was over, but he felt none of those emotions when he accepted Azazel’s death. The hole in his soul did not heal, he didn’t feel the desire to stop hunting, and it never crossed his mind he could stop and settle down. No, his one thought was there was a new danger out there that he needed to stop this _‘Boy King’_ before it started destroying mankind. What he never imagined was his youngest son was the…He could not call him a monster…but could he call him a threat? 

The conflict raging in John's mind was keeping him from the rest he needed. He had been looking for yellow eyes for nearly eighteen years and had gathered all the information possible on him. He knew how powerful and destructive he was. Now, to find out his son had been the one who killed him was staggering and mind blowing, but also frightening and disheartening. If Sam had the power to destroy a demon as powerful as yellow eyes, what else was he capable of doing?

John loved both his sons, but now he had an underlying fear of his youngest. Fear of what he might turn into; fear of what he might do; fear that he would lose him for good. He did not understand or know what happened to him and wondered if the Demon had something to do with it. John had learned that Mary had been killed because she interrupted the Demon when he was in Sam's nursey. He had done something then to Sam, he was sure of it.

John groaned as he rubbed his temples hoping to alleviate some of the pain in his head. This was almost too much for him to handle. What was he to do now? He needed to help his son and he needed to find out if he was a danger to others or to himself. He needed to know who Sam was now.

Memories of the shaggy haired, young boy running to him and throwing his arms around John’s legs and looking up at him with such love in his eyes made its way to the forefront of his mind. But the look of hurt, despair, and pain he saw in Sam’s eyes before he fled the hospital was almost too much to bear. John could not help the emotions that flooded his mind when he realized Sam was who the demons called the _'Boy King’_ and who they feared.

The pain meds began to kick in and John let his mind close down so he could rest. Morning would be here soon enough to figure out what to do. He needed to talk to Sam and find out what happened, but he did not think Sam would be too interested in talking to him. Maybe he should encourage Dean to go after him and bring him back. John did not want Sam to be out there thinking he was alone with whatever he was going through. They needed to deal with this as a family. He could not abandon his youngest. He knew Mary would want him to help him, even if it meant protecting Sam from himself and others. If it came down to it, and nothing could be done to save him, could he kill his son?


	2. Chapter 2

Sam’s mind was dull and unresponsive as he drove down the interstate trying to put as much distance as he could between him and what used to be his family. He couldn’t get what he saw in his father’s mind out of his head. The headlights pierced the darkness of the night, but his tears made the road blurry and hard to see. He fought down his own raw emotions and gripped the steering wheel so tightly his fingers began to cramp until he loosened his grip and stretched them, massaging them as best he could.

His body was still trembling, and he was gasping short breaths from the encounter and he began to doubt his actions. Should he have not told them he was the one who killed Azazel? Should he have kept it all a secret and made some story up about his disappearance? Could he have lived a lie? Could he have taken the memories from Dean of what he saw him do? Could he have come up with a cover story as to why he knew John was in trouble? So much anguish and doubt and grief flooded his mind. He choked back his sobs and made himself push his feelings back until he could find a place to stop. Sam knew he couldn’t drive much farther after nearly wrecking several times.

With the drive to St. Elizabeth, the fight with the ghouls, worry for his Dad, and the reaction from the others, Sam hadn’t slept in over twenty-four hours. He was running on empty now that his adrenaline rush was depleted. He wanted to drive as long as he could in case anyone tried to follow him. After a glance at the gas gauge, Sam knew he would need to stop within the next hour to fuel his car. He was heading south with no destination in mind. He just wanted to lose himself in the world and be alone before he let himself be open to any of his own feelings.

The 24-hour truck stop lights shone like a beacon in the black of night, and Sam pulled off the interstate and headed for it. There were not many stations open this late and he was glad to have found this one. He needed caffeine to keep going for a few more hours. Sam was sure he was almost far enough away now that he could find a motel to check into and get some rest. He was going to drive a few more hours if he could hold out, and his body didn’t betray him and then find a motel.

The window was down, and the radio was blaring, as Sam tried to keep himself awake and the car in his lane. He shook his head and blinked hard several times before wiping a hand down his face. It was still dark and that didn’t help matters and only seemed to put him in a trance as he focused on the lines on the road. He jerked awake and steered the car back onto the road, when the tires hit the ruts on the side of the road that would warn drivers, they were veering off it. Sam knew he couldn’t continue like this or he was going to wreck. He started looking for signs of motels so he could stop and let himself unwind and rest. Too much had happened to him in the past twenty-four hours for him to handle.

He signaled to exit the interstate and followed the signs to a small motel and parked in front of the office. He was somewhere in Oklahoma on the outskirts of a small town called McAlester. The vacancy sign was on, so Sam got out and pushed open the office door hearing a buzzing sound that made him flinch slightly. A door behind the counter opened and an older man stepped out giving Sam a once over before speaking.

“May I help you?” he asked.

“Could I get a single for a night please?” Sam replied not able to keep the tiredness out of his voice.

“Let me see,” he said looking at a layout of the motel and running his finger over it. “Sorry, no singles at the moment but I do have a double available.”

“I don’t know if I can afford that,” Sam said. His body seemed to deflate with the idea of having to look for someplace else to stay. He didn’t know if he had the strength to go on. He had to watch his money until he could figure out how to get more. He had a bank account with a little money in it but accessing it would alert anyone looking for him of his where abouts, but he might have to chance it. If he closed the account and left the town immediately that might work.

As if sensing Sam’s distress, the man said, “I don’t usually do this, but you don’t look like you can drive anymore. What if I let you have a double for the same price as a single?”

“You’d be doing me a huge favor sir. I’ve been driving awhile and I’m exhausted,” Sam answered, relief flooding his face.

“Well, I’m glad to help. If you’ll fill this out for me,” he nodded pushing a registration card toward Sam with a pen.

“Thank you so much.” Sam took the pen and quickly scribbled the information needed and pushed it back toward him. “I might need it for two nights if that’s okay. I’ll go ahead and pay up front.”

“Okay, Mr. Rockford, your room’s around back on the end. If you decide not to stay an extra night, just come by and I’ll refund the money. I hope you enjoy the stay. If you need anything just come by the office. There’s vending machines and ice maker down at the other end of the walkway.”

“Thanks for this, you are a good man,” Sam told him taking the key and heading back out to move his car around back. He was lucky there was a parking space in front of the room and took it. He got his bags from the car and went to the door to open it. 

He flipped on the light and gave it a quick once over before moving inside. It was simple, but clean and didn’t have any weird smells or stains that he could see. Even now Sam moved to the bed farthest away from the door like he always did when Dean and he were together. His brother being ever the protector told him if anyone came through the door, they would have to come through him first before getting to him.

Sam adjusted the heat and used the bathroom before stripping out of his clothes, leaving on his tee shirt and briefs. He pulled the covers back and collapsed onto the bed, ready to stop driving, thinking, worrying and stressing. He needed sleep more than anything right now. He just hoped that his muddled mind would allow it.

**spn**

The bad dream that was haunting Dean had him jerking in his sleep and flaying, sending him rolling to the floor of the waiting room from the couch he had been stretched out on. He made a dull thud that had Bobby sitting up to see what was going on. 

“You okay Dean?” Bobby asked him as Dean picked himself up from the floor and sat down on the couch.

“I’m fine,” he replied wiping a hand down his face and looking around, letting his mind catch up with his body. It took him a moment to remember what had transpired last night and why they were in a hospital. The memory of Sam leaving rushed back and he got up to go to the restrooms that were right outside the waiting area. What little sleep he had gotten was not restful, so he still felt exhausted and drained. He relieved himself and went to the sink to wash his hands and splash cold water on his face. After he had dried off, Dean headed back to the waiting room to find Bobby talking to the doctor.

“Dr. Marsh is something wrong with my Dad?” he quickly asked.

“No, as I was telling Mr. Singer here, I checked on him this morning and he is mending nicely. He will be going down later for an MRI of the head to check that there are no slow bleeds or swelling. If he continues to improve, I will have me moved to a room tomorrow.”

“That sounds good, how long do you want to keep him hospitalized?”

“At least three days to keep check on the head injury and check for infection. I don’t think he was pleased with that, but we need to be cautious and not let him go too soon. Wouldn’t want him ending back in the hospital due to complications.”

“Thank you, Dr. Marsh, I appreciate what you’ve done for my Dad,” Dean said. He shook the doctor’s hand before he turned to leave. 

“It was nice to meet both of you. I’ll review the MRI and will be back around later today to check on him. If we find anything with the test, you’ll be notified.” The doctor shook Bobby’s hand and headed out of the room.

“Why don’t we go down to the cafeteria and get some breakfast?” Bobby asked. “It’s still an hour before we can see yer Daddy and you need to eat if you’re going after yer brother.”

“So, you think I should go too?” Dean asked getting up to follow Bobby out of the waiting room and toward the elevators. He thought of Bobby as a second Dad and valued his opinion knowing he would be logical about everything.

“I think you should follow your heart and do what _you_ think’s best for you. Sam doesn’t need to be out there alone in his state of mind. We don’t know what happened to him while he was missing. He needs to know we’re still here for him, no matter what. He needs all the support we can give him right now.”

“He does and I’m not letting him face this alone. I’m not going to stand by and do nothing. I don’t care what Dad says, my mind is made up.”

“Maybe you can convince him to come back to the salvage yard. Neither of you boys have to do it alone. There’ll always be a place at my home for both of you.”

“Thanks Bobby, that means a lot,” Dean nodded. He stepped off the elevator and they followed the signs to the cafeteria and went inside. It was starting to fill up as they got a tray and got in line. It was mostly self-service, and you paid the cashier before finding a seat.

After Bobby paid for their meals, they found a table in the corner and started eating. For hospital food it wasn’t too bad. The coffee was hot and strong, just how they liked it. 

**spn**

“As soon as I see Dad, I’m heading out, no matter what he says. I’ll check the tracking program before leaving the parking lot since I’ll still have wi-fi. I’m hoping he’s settled somewhere and can catch up with him before he moves again. Can you stay with Dad and try to make him do what the doctors say?”

“I will, but I can’t make any promises on that. He can be a hard-headed, stubborn, sob. Do you know what you’re going to say when you find yer brother?” Bobby asked. He knew the guys didn’t always see eye to eye on things and it could get heated.

“No freaking idea. I’ll wing it and just go with the flow. I mean, we need to know what happened to him those two months he was gone.” Dean didn’t want to mention what he saw Sam do at the house until he talked to him. He wasn’t sure how Bobby would take it and it really should be Sam telling him. It was his story after all. 

“True, but I wouldn’t push him too hard. Let him tell you in his own way or he might shut you out completely.”

“I know; that kid could be so moody when we were growing up and if he was really miffed, he could go for days and not speak to anyone. I think I know him better than anyone, hell, probably than he knows himself; I’ll get him to talk,” he said trying to sound confident, but not completely feeling it.

By the time they got back up to second floor, visiting hours had started and they made their way to John’s room. Dean went in first and looked to his father’s still form. The head of the bed was raised, and he looked like he was asleep. Dean tried to be quiet but hit the rolling table making a noise.

“Sorry Dad,” he apologized when he saw John open his eyes and blink sleepily at him.

“It’s okay, I need to wake up anyway,” John replied as he drew in a few deeper breaths.

“Doctor said you were doing pretty good,” Bobby commented moving to sit in a chair opposite of Dean.

“Yeah, I figure I’ll check myself out later today,” John surmised.

“And end back up in here when you collapse somewhere?” Dean exclaimed. “You need to do what they say. A head injury is nothing to mess around with Dad.”

“The boy’s right John. Don’t be a jackass and make matters worse,” Bobby agreed.

“At least stay a couple of days to be sure about your head injury and the gun shot,” Dean said. “Doctor said you were lucky that the bullet missed your heart. This is not something to take lightly Dad.”

“I guess you’re right,” John conceded deciding he wouldn’t make it out of the hospital on his own accord at the moment. “Couldn’t drive myself very far right now anyway.”

“I’m going after Sammy,” Dean stated firmly. He didn’t want to waste any more time since John seemed lucid and stable.

John looked at his oldest son and the stoic, determined, unyielding look on his face and knew there was no stopping him even if he wasn’t laid up in a hospital bed. He had a feeling this was coming and looked away so Dean wouldn’t see the hint of fear in his eyes. He knew it was Sam, but it wasn’t and that is what scared him.

“Look, I know I can’t stop you, but why don’t you wait until I’m out of here and I can go with you?” John offered hoping to stop him from going.

“No Dad. The longer I wait, the farther away he’ll get,” Dean replied. “I don’t care what you say. He’s my brother, and he needs me right now.”

“You heard what Sam said Dean, he killed the Demon and that demon was the most powerful one I’ve seen. It might not be safe for you to go alone. We don’t know what happened to Sam when he went missing. He’s not the same person you knew two months ago son. You saw that for yourself.”

“It might be better if I go alone. After his reaction to all of us when he told us about the Demon, I don’t think he needs us to come crashing in on him. Sammy might be more open if it’s just me.” Dean didn’t want to come right out and say what he was thinking.

John clenched his hands into the sheets as he stared at them. He wasn’t in any shape to help either son and it ate at him. “Alright, but Dean, be careful. Your brother has changed, and we don’t know how or why. He might be dangerous to you or to himself. If you can’t reason with him or help him…Dean there might not be any other choice but to stop him however you can.”

“Sam wouldn’t hurt me,” Dean fumed with anger as spasms of irritation crossed his face that his father would even jump to that conclusion without finding out the facts. “I know my brother, and he needs family right now. I know he’s changed, I could see that, but that doesn’t change who he is in my book,” Dean stated, regarding John with cold speculation.

“Will you at least call me when you find him?” John asked seeing he wasn’t going to be able to reason with him. His face grew haggard with worry as he pinched hip lips tightly to keep from saying anything else to make Dean angry.

“Why don’t you go to Bobby’s when you get discharged to finish healing and I’ll be in touch?” Dean asked looking to Bobby who had remained silent through the conversation.

“He’s right John, you need to let yourself heal. Dean can handle his brother; you need to take care of yourself if you’re going to be of any use to either of your sons,” Bobby told them.

“I guess you’re right,” John sighed giving in. He rubbed his head and grimaced as a dull pain set in behind his eyes. 

“Doctor said they’re doing another MRI to check your head. I’ll have Bobby call me if there’s any problems,” Dean said. “I’m going to head out, take care Dad. Watch out for him,” Dean said to Bobby as he turned to leave.

“I will,” he replied. “Take care of yourself.”

“Goodbye and Dean, be careful when you find him,” John called to him as he watched Dean walk out the door. “I couldn’t have stopped him if I tried, could I?” he asked Bobby.

“No John, you’ll never be able to stop him from looking out for his brother,” Bobby told him. “It’s ingrained in his genes since Sam was born to look out for him, and that’s not going to change no matter what. Just pray he can talk some sense into Sam and get him to come back. I saw a lot of pain and heartache in that boy’s eyes and it bothers me that I was the cause of some of it. Sam was always a sensitive kid growing up and I think he could sense our feelings when he told us about killing the demon.”

“What if I can’t handle it Bobby? What if I drive him away again?”

“He’s still your son and you need to treat him like that. He needs to know we’re all there for him, not just his brother. If you can’t, you may lose both of them.”

John didn’t say anything else as he mulled over what Bobby had said. He knew the older hunter was right, if he couldn’t come to terms with whatever happened to Sam, he would lose both sons. He knew Dean would choose Sam over him if it came down to it. He laid his head back and closed his eyes as the ache in his head increased. He didn’t know what the future was going to bring, but he hoped his sons would be safe together.

* * *

**A/N: Dean is going after Sam and try to convince him to come back. Thank you for coming along for the journey in the second part of this trilogy. I do like comments. NC**


	3. Chapter 3

Dean left the hospital and went to the Impala to grab his laptop from the backseat. He dropped into the driver’s seat and booted it up hoping Sam had stopped somewhere and he could get the location. Once the home page came up, he pulled up the program and typed in the cell number to find its location. The program when through its steps and showed a map with a star, pinpointing where it was at. It looked stationery and Dean zoomed in to see the address. It was for a motel outside of some small town in Oklahoma. He checked the quickest route there and hoped his brother would stay there until he could get to him. He had about a seven-hour drive, which was good. That would give him time to think about what he was going to say. He needed to approach Sam very carefully and not scare him off. He did not want to lose his brother again and go through the agony and grief that he had experienced the past months.

After closing out of the program and shutting the laptop off, Dean pulled from the hospital parking lot and headed toward the main road that would get him to an interstate heading south. If the traffic was moving good, he figured to catch up to Sam by late afternoon, that is, if he stayed at that motel. Maybe luck would be on his side and he would not have to chase him halfway across the country before catching up to him, but he was prepared to do whatever it took to find him. This time he wasn’t stopping.

He was not sure how to take what their father had hinted at, that Sam may be dangerous. Dean did not see it that way. He had to be sure Sam knew that he was on his side and he would be there for him no matter what. That is what family did. They stuck together through the good times and more importantly through the bad. He hoped their Dad would see that too and not be so skeptical and shun or alienate Sam more than he felt already.

**spn**

Storm clouds were gathering in front of him and Dean knew he was going to be running right into it. He hoped it would not last long and he could drive out of it before getting to the motel where Sam had stopped. He tried not to speculate about what could have happened to him so he would not be biased when he learned the truth. After what he saw Sam do to the ghouls, he was certain it was not going to be easy to hear but he needed to know if he was going to help him. So much about Sam had changed in such a short period of time.

The farther he drove, the darker the clouds got until random drops of rain started to fall from the sky and then suddenly the storm engulfed him. The rain pounded on the Impala and Dean slowed as the traffic around him did the same. He had flipped on the windshield wipers and put them on high so he could see the road in front of him. He listened to the fast swishing back and forth they made and squinted to see through the heavy downpour. He leaned forward to wipe the windshield and flipped the heat to defrost.

Streaks of lightening rocked from the sky to the ground off in the distance and if he wasn’t worried about his brother, he would have pulled over to enjoy the light show, but he had more pressing matters to deal with. The storm only lasted for about thirty minutes before he was running out of it and then it settled to a light rain for a few more miles until it stopped. He loosened his grip on the wheel and rolled his shoulder to relieve some of the tension as he settled back down and picked up speed, keeping pace with the traffic. He relaxed and began forming a plan in his head thinking he knew how to break the ice with his brother. 

**spn**

Noises in the parking lot woke Sam from a deep sleep. He rolled over and stretched looking toward the digital clock on the nightstand and saw it was after four. He was sure by the brightness that came in around the curtain it was in the afternoon and not morning. He would have stayed in bed and gone back to sleep, but his stomach was rumbling with hunger and was not going to let him sleep anymore until he fed it. With a huff, he threw back the covers and sat on the edge of the bed, gathering his thoughts before heading for the bathroom to shower. He would walk down to one of the places near the motel and grab something to eat and see how he felt afterwards before deciding whether to leave or stay another night. He was still tired but could leave if he wanted.

He switched on the heat and turned on the water before taking off his clothes and adjusting the temperature of the spray. Sam stepped into the hot spray and sighed as it beat on his body. It washed away the remnants of stress, worry, uncertainty, and apprehension, letting them swirl down the drain. The water pressure was good, and he let the jets of water beat on his shoulders and neck to relieve the pent-up tension that had settled there. After shampooing his hair, washing his body and rinsing, Sam cut off the water and grabbed a towel to dry off before stepping from the tub. He wrapped the towel around his hips and cinched it. Sam opened the door to the bathroom and stepped into the other room just as the door to his room opened allowing someone to enter. Without thinking Sam automatically threw out his hand, and pinned whoever was breaking in to the wall until he heard cursing from a familiar voice.

Dean found the motel and checked online for a pizza place to pick up dinner before stopping there. He was going to try smoothing the way with beer and food, hoping that would make Sam more pliable and willing to talk to him. After picking up two pizzas and a salad for Sam, he stopped at a convenience store a couple of businesses down from the motel and grabbed a six pack of beer. Satisfied with his purchases and frowning when his stomach growled from the aroma of the food, he pulled into the motel parking lot. 

It did not take him long to find Sam’s car and pulled in beside it. He got out hoping he was right on the room and went to the door to knock. Not getting an answer, Dean sat the pizza and beer down and pulled out his kit to pick the lock. He pushed open the door with his purchases in each hand and was suddenly flattened against the wall by an invisible force. The beers dropped with a small thump to the carpeted floor and he tried to grab the pizza boxes before they hit the floor, letting a string of curse words out when suddenly the boxes stopped falling and hung in midair.

“Damnit Dean, why are you breaking into my room?” Sam complained angrily when he saw it was him and let him go.

“Christ Sammy, I only brought pizza and beer,” Dean huffed getting his hands back on the boxes so they would not fall to the floor. He looked to his brother who was grabbing at the towel that was covering his naked body. He noticed something new on his chest above his heart. It was a tattoo of some kind and wondered what made him get it. “Why don’t you put some clothes on? You hungry? I even got you some rabbit food too, and a couple of dressings since I didn’t know what you would want.” Dean walked on into the room trying to be casual about everything and set the items on the table.

Sam stood there staring at his brother in surprise and shock. He was acting like what just happened to him was nothing unusual or creepy. He opened his mouth to say something, but the enticing aroma of the pizza hit him, and his stomach growled loudly.

“See, even your stomach agrees with me,” Dean smirked not turning to look at Sam. He wanted to act as normal as possible and put Sam at ease.

Sam grunted a reply before rummaging around in his duffle for clothes. He slipped back into the bathroom and quickly put them on so he could join his brother for dinner.

**spn**

Dean had pizza dished out on a couple of napkins and beer bottles opened when he came back out. He moved to the table and sat down, not looking at Dean as he picked up the slice of pizza and took a bite. He could not help moaning as the flavors hit his taste buds and he chewed quickly so he could take another bite. Sam opened the salad and poured one of the dressings over it before mixing it with a fork and taking a bite. Everything tasted so good and deep down he was glad Dean had found him. He could hear Dean eating and should have known he would track him down. He did not try to make conversation as they ate their dinner. Sam sipped the beer and burped softly, excusing himself as he continued to eat. Sam kept his eyes downcast as he ate and his walls up not wanting to hear Dean’s thoughts again.

It was only after most of the pizzas were gone and two more beers were drunk that Sam slowed down wanting to let what he had eaten settle in his stomach. He felt stuffed and knew he ate too much, but he could not help it. Food had been low on his priorities recently. He had been more concerned with learning about and how to control the powers that he had. Sam had picked up protein shakes, fresh fruit and vegetables and some lean meats to make meals while he stayed at the cabin. He did make himself eat one good meal a day to keep his strength up and so he could continue to train both physically and mentally. He watched Dean get up and throw away the trash and one pizza box before heading to the bathroom and closing the door.

Dean pushed the door closed behind him and breathed a sigh of relief. So far, his brother had not demanded that he leave, and he felt like that was a win. He moved to the commode and used it before going to the sink and washing up knowing he could not put off facing Sam any longer. He needed to do this, there was no way around it, so he went to the door, opened it and stepped back into the room. Sam had pulled the bag from the trash can and was tying the top before moving toward the door.

“I’m going to get rid of the trash, so we don’t have to smell pizza for the rest of the day,” Sam told him. He did not wait for a reply before heading out the door and going to find the dipsy dumpster that sat off to the side of the motel. 

Dean headed to the table and pulled the last two beers from the cardboard container. He waited patiently for Sam to return and he worked on building his courage to ask Sam about what he had done to him and what had happened to him during the past two months. Sam had pinned him to the wall without even touching him and he stopped the pizza boxes from falling. He knew there was a long name for it but could not think of it at the moment. Dean did not know how Sam had learned that and wondered if he could do other things. John had told him to be careful that Sam was not the same person he had been when he took off for college and that was an understatement. Sam never showed any signs of psychic abilities growing up and that confused him even more. There had to be other things for him to be able to kill the Demon that had been their Dad’s lifelong mission for revenge. 

Sam paused outside the door to his room and stood there for a moment steeling his nerves, knowing he was going to have to tell Dean something. His big problem was he did not know how Dean would respond to it. He did not think he could take him walking away from him and his too full stomach churned with doubt. Should he come clean with Dean, or not tell him about his abilities, except for the telekinesis which he had just experience. Knowing he could not stay outside any longer, he opened the door and stepped back into the room to see Dean standing by the table with two beers sitting on it.

“Wanna finish off the six pack?” Dean asked picking up the beers and holding one out to him.

“Might as well,” Sam sighed moving closer to take it. “How’s Dad?” he asked cautiously.

“Doing good by the doctor’s report. He wants him to stay in the hospital at least three of four days and you know how that went over with Dad,” Dean chuckled.

“Yeah, I remember,” Sam agreed laughing softly too but then the tension came back and hung heavy in the room.

“So, you maybe wanna talk?” Dean asked in a calm, non-threatening voice trying to get Sam to look at him.

“Yeah I guess we should,” he replied with a sigh. Sam moved to the bed and arranged the pillows so he could lean back against the headboard with one leg on the bed and one hanging over the side. He watched Dean move a chair from the table and sit it down by the bed and straddled it. Sam sipped his beer to wet his mouth that had suddenly gone dry and cleared his throat trying to work up the courage to start. He licked his lips as his mind raced with words he could say, but should he? An idea came to mind, but he wondered if his brother would let him do it and if it would work. Sam had read about it but had not had a chance to try it. “I have a better way of telling you if you’re willing to try it,” Sam told him as he glanced up at Dean and quickly back down, waiting for Dean’s response.

“If it’ll let me know what happened to you, then yeah, I’ll do it,” Dean agreed. “What should I to do?”

Sam looked to the other bed and then to his trying to decide the easiest way to proceed. “Why don’t you join me on the bed?” he asked cautiously, not sure how Dean would react to the request.

“Yeah, sure, why not,” Dean shrugged. He stood up and moved around the bed to sit down beside Sam, adjusting the pillow behind his back. Once he was settled, Dean turned slightly toward his brother waiting to see what would happen next. He had to trust his brother and not show any fear or doubt. Sam would never hurt him; he was sure of that.

Sam reached his trembling hand out and gripped Dean’s wrist with cool fingers. He closed his eyes to concentrate on the night that changed his life forever.

* * *

**A/N: Dean has found Sam and now he is going to learn the truth. How will he take it? Can he understand what Sam is going through? Thank you for reading my new story. I do like comments. NC**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sam let’s Dean see his memories of what happened to him and we learn Dean’s reaction. Thank you for taking this journey with me and I hope you are enjoying the drama and brotherly moments. Comments would be great. NC**

* * *

Dean watched as Sam reached a hand toward him and touched fingers to his temple, holding them there and pressing lightly into his skin. He could feel Sam’s cool fingers tremble slightly and rested his warm hand over Sam’s other hand laying in his lap to assure him it was okay. Not sure what to expect next, he studied Sam as he closed his eyes and relaxed more into the pillows behind him. His breathing evened out and suddenly things changed, almost freaking Dean out, but he didn’t break his connection with Sam. The scene in front of him faded away and he saw Sam walk out the motel door to head for the bus station. He was afraid to move for fear of losing the image. It was like watching a motion picture in his mind. He was seeing Sam’s memories play out before him through his eyes and wondered how he learned to do that.

Sam walked down the street away from the motel and entered the station to buy a ticket for California. He watched him head back outside and to a bench to sit down. Time flipped forward in the blink of an eye and all he saw was Sam being hit on the head and things went blank as blackness filled his mind for a moment before images began to form again. 

Another image started taking shape of Sam waking up in a cell with no windows and only one door into it. He watched as Sam scoured the room and move around, noticing he was chained by the ankle to the wall. Dean frowned with this scene, not sure what to make of it. He didn’t see who had taken Sam and waited as the images fast forwarded through time. They slowed long enough to see a man dressed in a suit come in with a tray that had food on it and leave it. Dean was confused since the suit guy didn’t look like a kidnapper. He looked more like a banker or accountant.

Images began to move faster, and he couldn’t see them all, but he got the gist of Sam being kept in the cell and food was brought to him twice a day. He couldn’t tell how much time had passed that Sam was chained in the cell. They slowed down again, and two men came in and unchained Sam to take him from the room. He watched Sam being led down several halls before being brought into a room and pushed roughly into a chair and tied in place. Dean’s anger was building that Sam was being treated like this. It wasn’t long before two other men came into the room and Dean listened to the conversation playing out in front of him. He didn’t recognize any of these kidnappers and was trying to figure out why they would take Sam.

_“Hello Sam, it’s finally good to meet you,” the leader addressed him as he moved to stand in front of him._

_“Go to hell,” Sam sneered back, not wanting to show any signs of weakness or fear._

_“Funny, since we’re already there,” he chuckled blinking his eyes and looking back at Sam._

Dean sucked in a short breath when he saw the man had yellow eyes. This was the Demon they had been looking for all this time. He was the one who kidnapped Sam and wondered what his intentions were for his brother. Dean clenched his free hand into a fist and the other holding Sam’s hand tightened slightly over it, the longer he watched and listened to their conversation.

_“What do you want with me?” Sam asked in a strong voice. “Are you trying to lay a trap for my Dad? If so, he’s not going to fall for it.”_

_“Your Dad has nothing to do with why you are here Sam. I chose you before you were born. Well, I chose your mother and she made a deal with me. Too bad she had to interrupt me that night in your nursery,” he told him as he walked around Sam._

_“What do you mean? My Mom made a deal with you? She would never do that!” Sam insisted vehemently._

_“Oh, but she did to save poor, dead John. Shall I show you?” the yellow eyed demon asked Sam. He snapped his fingers and Sam wrists were freed._

This was almost more than Dean could handle. Their Mom had made a deal? Dad had been killed all those years ago? He was suddenly transported with Sam to a clearing where a body lay on the ground and a young woman, he was sure was their Mom, knelt beside him crying helplessly. An older man with yellow eyes was talking to her and suddenly they were kissing and within seconds John was moaning and moving and the older man toppled over dead from being stabbed in the stomach. Mary pulled John into her arms, sobbing pitifully as John wrapped his arms around her not sure what had happened.

The image changed quickly again, and they were back in the room. Yellow Eyes was talking again, but he wasn’t making sense to Dean.

_“Well, you see, you’re one of my special children and I have plans for you. Unfortunately, I’ve had to adjust my schedule and you are going to help me.”_

_“I’ll never help you! Go ahead, you might as well kill me, but I’ll never do what you want.”_

_“I can remedy that, Gerald if you will,” the demon instructed one of his minions._

Dean watched in horror as black smoke poured from the one called Gerald’s mouth, letting his body drop to the floor and flew toward his brother and into him. He jerked away from Sam’s fingers and looked at him in disbelief and doubt, seeing tears in Sam’s haunted eyes as they began to run down his face. Sam had been kidnapped by demons and one had possessed him. He couldn’t help himself when he whispered _, “Christo,”_ to see if his eyes changed to black. He was sure he wasn’t possessed, but could not take any chances, and let the breath he was holding out when Sam’s eyes remained hazel. 

“I’m not possessed now Dean,” Sam told him quietly, his voice hitched, while looking down at his clenched hands trying to get them to unfold. “This keeps it from happening to me now. You need to get one too,” He pulled his T-shirt neck down far enough to reveal the anti-possession tattoo above his heart. 

Dean had noticed the tattoo when Sam stepped from the bathroom in that motel room and wondered what it was. He hadn’t mentioned it yet but planned on asking about it. He was trying to wrap his mind around what he had seen and was amazed and unsure of how Sam was doing this, putting his memories in his head. It had to be some type of psychic ability but how did Sam get these and why hadn’t they showed up before now. Other questions popped into his mind, but he didn’t ask them, not yet. He was sure there was more for him to see and hoped he could make it through this. Dean could tell this was hard on Sam too by the anguished, pained look in his wet eyes.

“Do you want to stop?” Sam asked cautiously when he saw Dean’s reactions to seeing a demon possess him. He was a little relieved to see he wasn’t looking at him in fear or horror like he thought he would be. What he saw was concern, worry, and that brotherly look he had seen his whole life that was meant to give him support and show he cared. 

“No, I want to see it,” he told Sam in a serious tone. “I need to see the rest.”

Sam only nodded and allowed Dean to take his hand and press his fingers back to his temple, keeping his hand over Sam’s as assurance. Sam went back into a semitrance as he sent more images into Dean’s mind. There were some he did not want Dean to see and suppressed them. Dean stilled himself and let his mind relax accepting the images Sam was sending him. He listened and watched the Demon talk to Sam before he left him with the other three.

_“You know what needs to be done, so get to it,” Azazel ordered before leaving the room, pausing at the doorway to look back at his followers. “I will be back, and I expect results.”_

_“Nothing to worry about sir, we will be sure to have them,” Gerald replied. “Guess might as well get this over with,” he sighed going to the table that had a cup sitting on it. “Down the hatch Sammy boy.” He picked up the cup of blood and drained it, grimacing at the taste. “Glad I’m not having to do this all the time.”_

The demon walked Sam back to the cell and left his body, causing Sam to fall, panting on the floor of the cell. Time moved forward again, and Sam was taken back to the room where he was possessed again and made to drink more of whatever was in those cups. There was more this time and Dean was at a loss to what it could be.

_“Guess we should get him back to his cell until the next dose,” one of the guards commented._

_“Yeah, you’re right I guess, but wouldn’t it be fun to do something with this body just to irritate him?”_

_“You heard the Boss; I wouldn’t advise it if you want to keep living.”_

_“Let’s get this over with,” Gerald sighed going to the table and downing twice as much blood as the first time. “Don’t see why we can’t just load him up on demon blood and see what happens. This is getting boring really fast.”_

Dean heard the words demon blood and stiffened as he realized what was in the cups that the demon was making Sam drink. Every time the demon possessed Sam, more blood was given to him and then he was taken back to his cell to be released, sometimes passing out, and other times struggling to the cot to drop onto it and curling up, his body trembling uncontrollably. Dean lost count of the times Sam was possessed and made to drink the blood as Sam moved quickly through them not wanting to linger since it was basically a repeat each time.

The scene slowed and Dean studied Sam and realized something was happening to him. He could tell he became more aware, more alive again, as if an invisible force was taking over and powering Sam. He wondered if this was where the tables shifted and now Sam was going to be the controller. He knew his brother well enough to know when his super smart brain was working on overdrive.

Sam lingered on the scene where he became aware of his powers just to let Dean see what had happened. He opened his eyes into slits to look at Dean as he tried to maintain a neutral facial expression. Sam saw him clench his jaw and his lips thinned into a tight line. He could feel Dean’s hand tighten over his own as his body stiffened. Dean saw several demons fall around Sam before he moved on to the Yellow Eyed Demon and his destruction.

_“Sam, nice you could join me,” he said turning around and sipping on a drink he had in his hand. “I wondered how long it would take for you to develop into a child of mine.”_

_“I am not your child and I will never be!” Sam hissed in disgust as he stepped on into the room. He saw movement in his peripheral vision and looked at the two demons that were advancing toward him. He stared at them for a moment, before they fell gagging to the floor and stilled._

_“I am impressed. You’re learning faster than I expected. We are going to make a great team, you and me. We will take over the world once my army is freed and you will be leading it for me. It was so good of your father and brother to train you as a hunter to prepare you for this. You know, I’ll have to thank them some day.”_

_“Oh, there will be no you and me here. I will never lead your demon army or do anything else for you,” Sam stated in no uncertain terms. “The only thing I will do is kill you.”_

_“You may think you’re strong Sam, but I am stronger,” he gloated in delight as he snapped his fingers. “I’ve been around for a long time and you...Well you are newly born so to speak. You’ve not even had time to really test yourself, have you?”_

Dean watched his brother as Sam faced off against Yellow Eyes by himself and could not help but be proud of him. He didn’t know how, but Sam had fought him and won. That was a victory all in its own right and he needed to tell him that. Dean turned his thoughts back to the scene when heard the Demon talking about Sam.

_“No Sam, I saved you from a life of boredom. I gave you a chance to be something great, to be a leader, maybe even the next king,” Azazel said. “I know you Sam, even before you were born. You were destined to follow this path I started for you. I’ve been watching you all your life, waiting for the right time to take you. I could feel the powers inside of you even when you were innocent and young. All you have to do is embrace them Sammy, be who you truly are and quit hiding in your brother’s shadow. Too bad you didn’t make it to college,” he chuckled seeing Sam frown with this tidbit of news. “What? You didn’t think I knew about you running off to college? It was perfect timing actually.”_

Dean listened to the Demon mention Sam’s powers and how he gave them to him and how he had been watching Sam even before he was born. He didn’t understand what he was talking about, Sam being king, king of what and what demon army was he talking about. He filed away all his questions and hoped Sam would answer them so he could understand what had happened to him. He had a feeling there were some things Sam wasn’t showing him and wondered if he would tell him. 

_“You can’t do this, I created you!” Azazel yelled._

Sam was trying to show Dean the highlights of what happened and not go into detail all that transpired. He was giving him the cliff notes version and was sure he would be grilled afterwards by Dean.

_“Now, let’s finish this; I need a shower,” Sam said._

Dean saw the Demon grimacing in pain and wail in agony as Sam did something, but all he saw was him clenching his hand into a fist as he stared intently at Yellow Eyes. Suddenly, the meatsuits were falling around Sam as he watched Yellow Eyes slump to the floor, and he could tell he was dead. Dean couldn’t feel the force released from Sam but saw the results.

The images faded and Dean knew Sam was done, that was all he would show him. He felt Sam’s hand go limp in his own and let it drop from his temple and watched Sam slowly open his eyes to look at him. He saw it all in his pain filled eyes and understood now how much Sam had suffered.

Sam didn’t continue with how he got out of Hell or where we went afterwards, thinking this was more than enough for Dean to handle right now. He didn’t want to explain his actions and why he didn’t contact him as soon as he was free. That could be for another day or maybe not at all. He would play the rest by ear if Dean questioned him about it. For now, he felt drained and weak with what he had done so Dean could see it for himself.

Dean didn’t need to say anything as he pulled Sam into his arms and hugged him tightly. It was horrendous what had happened to his brother and he didn’t know how he survived the ordeal. Dean felt Sam stiffen and try to pull away from him, so he spoke softly to him, “I got ya Sammy,” and felt Sam’s stiff body collapse into him. Dean could feel Sam trembling uncontrollably and heard his sobs as he moved a hand to his neck to massage it and the other to rub his back. “It’s going to be okay,” he mumbled into his ear. “I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.” 

He rocked slowly back and forth, not willing to let him go. Dean would hold him as long as Sam would let him because that was all he could do for him right now. There was nothing he could do to take away any of what Sam had been put through by the demons. The only thing he was happy about was they were dead. His heart ached and the pizza he ate for dinner felt like stones in his stomach as it churned, and he fought the need to throw up. Tears filled his eyes and dripped down his face, but he didn’t move a hand to wipe them away. Dean didn’t want to let this moment go. This was so much more horrible than he ever imagined, and he was not going to let Sam deal with it alone any longer. 

Sam wasn’t sure how Dean was going to react to what he had seen and was surprised when he pulled him into his embrace. He tried to pull away feeling it was wrong until he heard those four words, ‘ _I got ya Sammy,_ ’ being whispered in his ear. He couldn’t stop the flood of emotions being released from him as he clung to his brother like he was his only lifeline in a sea of turmoil. Sam could feel the gentle touch of his brother as he tried to comfort him and show he was there for him. All of Sam’s fear and trepidations about how Dean would react were vanished. He stayed huddled warmly in Dean’s arms feeling again the safety they represented for him all his life. 


	5. Chapter 5

Sam finally pushed away from Dean, and wiped his wet face, trying to get his emotions back under control. He did not realize how much time had passed until he glanced at the clock and saw nearly two hours had gone by from when he had started showing Dean his memories to now. It only seemed like a few minutes to him.

He had not planned on breaking down like that, but to have Dean pull him into a hug and accept him after seeing all that was done to him opened the flood gates. He did not know if Dean would ever do that again after what Sam had showed him and the way he did it. Sam was so afraid of his reaction to learn about the demon blood that had been forced on him. He hitched in a couple of shaky breaths not trusting his voice yet to speak to him.

“You okay Sammy?” Dean asked gently after giving him a few minutes to calm down and get himself under control. He butted his shoulder into Sam’s, a brotherly gesture they had used when either was feeling upset or down or just needed to know the other was there. Sam swayed slightly and let a small smile play on his lips for a moment.

“Yeah,” Sam replied hoarsely. He cleared his throat so he could speak clearer. “It actually feels good to tell someone what happened to me. I felt…I felt so alone with no one to talk to.”

“Why don’t you rest, you look drained?” Dean told him seeing Sam’s body tremble slightly. “There’s a few holes you can fill in for me, but it can wait. It doesn’t have to happen all at one time. You need to sleep to recharge more than anything.”

“I do feel exhausted, guess it was a good thing they didn’t have any singles and I had to get a double,” Sam teased in a tired voice. “At least you have a place to sleep.”

“Sometimes Fate has a way of doing that. Go on to bed Sammy, I need to call Bobby and check on Dad,” Dean told him getting up from Sam’s bed and pulling the covers back. “I need to get my bag from the car too.”

“Are you going to tell him?” Sam asked quietly in a childlike voice of a five-year-old. He would not look at Dean as he talked for fear of what he might see in his eyes.

“I’ll let you decide. I can just give him the basics and not go into detail. Maybe Bobby might have a little insight into things. Is that alright?”

“Yeah, you can’t lie, it wouldn’t be right,” Sam sighed as he worked on letting his body relax and his racing mind to calm down. The worse was over, he had given Dean a scaled down version of what had happened to him, just enough so he would know the truth. He had not shown him anything about what the demons said after killing Azazel and how he got away or his time at the cabin training himself. That could wait. All that mattered at the moment was Dean had stayed and wasn’t treating him any different because of what he now knew. Sam could not hold his eyes open and let them close as exhaustion took over. He heard the door open and quietly close as Dean stepped out into the night.

**spn**

Night had fallen and the darkness came alive with the creatures that only came out during this time. He heard an owl in the distance calling out, a barrage of insects sounding off all around him, and the hum of cars on the road out front heading for their destinations. The lights in the parking lot had come on casting the area into deep shadows. Dean opened the driver’s door of the Impala and sat down with a sigh before pulling his cell from his pocket. He pulled up his contact list and scrolled down to Bobby and hit dial. The cell at the other end began to ring.

_“Hello,”_ Bobby’s gruff voice answered after four rings.

“Hey Bobby, it’s me,” Dean sighed, feeling as tired as Sam had looked.

_“Are you okay? Did you find Sam?”_

“Yes, to both. He stopped at a motel in Oklahoma and was still here when I caught up with him.”

_“How’s he doing?”_

“About as good as you can expect. How’s Dad?”

_“MRI came back clean. They’re moving him into a room for a couple of days and if he is still doing good, he will be released.”_

“Good to hear.”

“ _Did you talk to him? Has he told you what happened and how he killed the Demon?”_

“In a way and its bad Bobby, worse than I ever imagined. I’ll hit the highlights and let Sam tell you in more detail. Yellow Eyes had him kidnapped by demons and they did something to him. It awoke…Something inside of him…Powers, abilities, psychic things…He can do things Bobby…And…He’s scared…Afraid we’ll reject him because of what happened…He’s like a lost kid Bobby.”

“ _Balls!”_ Bobby snorted in disgust. _“I’m sure that’s messing with him. He always was a sensitive, serious kid.”_

“We’re going to talk more tomorrow about things. He’s too exhausted to do it tonight.”

_“Think he’ll come back to my place?”_

“I doubt it with Dad being there. I don’t think he’s ready to face him again yet. It was hard enough with me. He’s ashamed of what happened and afraid of how you will react if you know the truth. No matter what, I’m staying with him. He’s not going through this alone.”

_“I might know someone that can help. She’s an old friend and she’s a psychic, a real one. Think Sam might go see her?”_

“I don’t know but it’s worth a shot. I mean, I’m not much help to him but for moral support and I hate to see him facing these things by himself.”

“ _There’s only one thing,”_ Bobby said cautiously not knowing how Dean was going to react to the news.

“What’s that?”

_“She lives in Lawrence, Kansas.”_

The line remained quiet because Dean could not say anything. That was the one place he swore he would never go again. Not where his mother died. Not where his childhood was taken from him. Not where his life changed forever. Dean swallowed hard trying to find his voice again.

_“You still there son?”_ Bobby questioned. “ _I know it might be hard for you, but it’s for Sam. Think about him. Her name’s Missouri Mosley. She doesn’t live far from your old house.”_

“I think…” Dean started and had to clear his throat. “I think I know her. Seems Dad went to see her a few times after Mom was killed. She gave me a cookie once…” Dean trailed off as his thoughts went back all those years. “If it’ll help Sammy, you know I’ll do it,” he huffed knowing there was nothing else he could do.

_“Good, I’ll call and let her know you might be coming by. Keep in touch and let me know what I can do. I’ll call you when yer Daddy gets released.”_

“Thanks Bobby, tell Dad…Tell him, we’re both okay,” Dean told him. “Bobby, I think Dad knows more than he’s saying, see if you can get him to talk to you.”

_“I will and you take care of yourself and your brother. Goodbye son_ ,” Bobby replied ending the call.

Dean hug up and got out to get his bag so he could go back inside. He opened the door and slipped in, listening for sounds from the bed. He could hear soft, steady breathing coming from Sam and smiled to himself, glad that he was able to rest. After grabbing his bathroom bag, Dean went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. He came out a short time later and decided to do one quick thing on the laptop before turning in. 

Being as quiet as he could, Dean pulled his laptop out of his bag and booted it up. He went online and searched for psychic powers. A slew of links came up and he clicked on several skimming the articles. He found the one Sam had used on him, telekinesis, able to move things with your mind. That seemed a very common one but there were a lot more. Knowing he was too tired to really absorb anything from the articles, he bookmarked them for later and closed his laptop and undressed before slipping under the covers of his bed. 

Being tired from the drive and the mental stress of seeing Sam’s memories had him drifting off to sleep within a few minutes. His dreams were plagued with images of Sam running trying to get away from the black smoke that was chasing him. He grunted in his sleep before rolling over and settling down again, forcing the dreams from his mind.

**spn**

It was early morning when Dean was rousted from sleep by cries from the other bed. He quickly got up and moved to sit by his brother and shook him awake. “It’s okay Sammy, you’re just dreaming. Wake up,” he called to him as he shook his shoulder.

Sam jerked and cried softly as his eyes sprang open and he looked around in fright until he focused on Dean who was sitting beside him on the bed. He looked around them and saw they were in a motel room and memories of the night before came back to him. He had shown Dean what had happened to him and he had stayed afterwards. He knew they still had a lot to talk about, but it could wait. All that matter to him was Dean had not rejected him or thought of him as a freak or monster. He did not need to see his thoughts to know it was true. 

“Think you can maybe get some more sleep? It’s too early to be getting up,” Dean asked him.

“I’ll try,” Sam mumbled not sure he wanted to after the bad dreams. He looked away not wanting to express his thoughts to Dean.

“Scoot over,” Dean said when he saw the worry on Sam’s face knowing he was thinking of the dream. “I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep.”

Sam moved over in the bed and let Dean lay down beside him like he used to do when they were kids. He eased up next to him and pressed his cool body into Dean’s warm side, hoping the physical contact would keep the nightmares away. 

Dean shifted and let Sam cuddle into his side knowing this was what he needed right now. It did not matter how old either of them were, they always found comfort with each other’s touch. Sam’s body was cool, and he tucked the blankets around him to help warm him. It had been a long time since he had to comfort Sam like this, and he missed it. Sam was a grown young man now and he needed to allow him to be who he was and to grow up.

He could tease and call it a chick flick moment but did not want to spoil it. It did not take long for Sam’s breathing to even out and he was back asleep. Dean lay there listening to his breathing and let it lull him back to sleep too. He kept an arm protectively around Sam as he slept, not wanting to let him go.

* * *

* * *

**A/N: Dean has accepted Sam and plans on staying with him. Now he learns that he needs to return to Lawrence, a place he swore he would never go back to. I do like comments, please leave one. NC**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: The brothers are going home. Something Dean thought he would never have to do. He just hopes it is worth it and Missouri can help Sam. Thanks for taking this journey with me. I do like comments. NC**

* * *

Sam began to wake and reached out trying to find the warmth that had protected him in his sleep but found it was gone. He got his eyes opened enough to see the bed was empty across from him and raised his head to look around the room for his brother. He heard water running in the bathroom and knew Dean must be taking a shower. He snuggled back down into the covers not really having a desire to get up. It was not long before the bathroom door opened, and Dean stepped out along with a puff of steam.

“Hey, you awake over there yet?” Dean called to his brother when he did not see movement.

“Maybe,” Sam replied his voice still rough from sleep.

“When I talked to Bobby last night, he gave me the name of someone that might can help. She’s a psychic, a real one, and I thought we could maybe go see her,” Dean explained as he packed his dirty clothes in his duffle. “I know we haven’t talk about this yet, but it’s pretty clear you’ve got some type of powers. And honestly Sammy, this is way out of my league bro.”

“You think she can help?” Sam asked sitting slowly up in the bed and looking at his brother. He could see the concern and honesty on his face and knew Dean was not lying to him. He felt a warmth inside of him growing, seeing his brother was going to help him and not reject him.

“Well, it couldn’t hurt anything. I know what you did to the ghouls and to me was something psychic, so if you have these powers, wouldn’t it be a good idea to learn more about them?”

Sam looked down at the covers as he thought over what Dean said. He did want to understand these powers more and who better than a psychic to help him. He was not sure if he should tell Dean about his time at the cabin and that he was studying up on psychic powers and testing himself. “Where do we have to go?”

Dean drew in a deep breath and looked down at his feet for a moment before he could answer. “Home, Sammy. We have to go home, Lawrence, Kansas.”

“Man Dean, are you sure about this? I know how you feel about that place. Didn’t you say you would never go back there again?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. I can’t help you Sammy, god knows I wish I could, but this is beyond any help I can give and if that’s what it takes to find help for you; I’ll do it.”

“Thanks Dean. I’ll get ready,” Sam told him. He could see the conflict on Dean’s face as he talked and knew this was hard for him, but he was doing it for him because he still cared about him. He wanted to help, and Sam could not help the tears that wet his eyes. He dug around in his duffle for clean clothes before heading into the bathroom, not wanting Dean to see his tears.

“I figure we can grab some breakfast on the way out,” Dean called through the bathroom door to him.

“Sure,” Sam answered clearing his throat. He finished his bathroom routine and got dressed before joining Dean in the main room. After gathering his things and packing them, he headed outside with Dean. They looked at the two cars sitting there. “I can follow you,” Sam suggested not ready to give up the car he had bought yet. It gave him a sense of freedom and ownership he had not had before. It was a part of his new life he was starting.

“Yeah, guess that’ll have to do for now,” Dean replied. He did not like the idea, but they didn’t really have a choice at the moment. Maybe he could see if Bobby could contact a hunter that was near Lawrence and get him to drive Sam’s car back to the salvage yard. They had no need for two cars right now and Sam seemed attached to it. Maybe it was because it gave him a sense of knowing he could leave if he chose. He could not take that away from him, not at this stage in the game.

Dean got into the Impala and Sam got into his car as they made ready to leave. Dean was going to lead the way and only stop when they needed gas. By his calculations, he figured they could get to Lawrence by late afternoon.

**spn**

The convenience store was not crowded when Dean pulled into it and up to a pump. He got out and watched Sam pull to a pump across from him. They were on the outskirts of Lawrence and Dean could already feel it closing in on him. He tried not to show it as he got out to fill the Impala. He glanced over at Sam and saw him get out and stretch. He looked tired from the long drive and he could not blame him after all he’d been through.

Sam pulled to the pump and stopped. He was tired and stretched his arms over his head and could not stop the yawn from coming out. Even being this far away from Dean, Sam could tell Dean was uptight and nervous. Lawrence meant an entirely different thing to his brother than to him. This was the place they had been born and lived until their Mom had died in a nursery fire when he was six months old. This is where Dean’s life was changed forever, where he had to become an adult in a child’s body. Sam could feel his brother’s mixed emotions if he concentrated slightly on him. He wondered if it was easy for him to connect with Dean because of the unusual bond that they had had all their lives. He was pulled from his thoughts when the pump clicked off his car was full. Sam pulled the nozzle from the car and replaced the cap. 

“You ready to finish this?” Dean called to him.

“Yes, you think we should pick up some dinner to take with us?” Sam suggested.

“You know, that’s not a bad idea. I know Bobby was going to call her to let her know we were coming. But maybe we shouldn’t go empty handed,” Dean agreed. “We’ll stop at the diner and pick some food up.”

Dean led them into town and to the diner that had been there for years. It was family owned and had been passed down in the family from father to son or daughter. They went inside and ordered takeout, Sam being sure to get some healthy food too. Once they had their food, Dean headed for Missouri’s house. He went the long way to avoid seeing their old home. Dean had enough to deal with without adding another level of worry. He pulled up to the two-story house and stopped, watching in the rearview mirror as Sam stopped behind him. He let his gaze wander to the house and questioned what lay beyond the front door and if there would be help for his little brother. He jerked in his seat when Sam rapped on the window pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Are we going in or what?” Sam asked when Dean did not get out of the car.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” Dean fussed fumbling with the handle and finally getting out. He took the lead and walked across the street and up the walkway to the front door. 

“My hands are full, ring the bell,” Sam told him holding up the bags he was carrying. 

Dean could not help the apprehension he was feeling as he punched the doorbell and listened to it ring inside the house. They waited until the door was opened by a cocoa skinned, short, middle aged woman who gave them a once over.

“My, my, haven’t you two grown up into fine, handsome young men,” she greeted them in a lyrical voice. “Don’t just stand there, come on in. I haven’t seen either of you since…Let’s just say you both were babies.”

“You knew our Dad, John Winchester,” Dean said.

“Yes, it was such a tragedy what happened to your Momma,” she sighed. “John was so lost and overcome with grief when he came to me. I opened his eyes and showed him what was behind the curtain. It changed him. He came by once or twice over the years as he continued his search for what killed her.” 

“We brought food for dinner,” Sam offered when Dean did not say anything and wanted to change the subject. He wanted to know about his Dad, but it just was not the time for that.

“How kind of you, the kitchen is back this way. I knew there was a reason I didn’t cook after Bobby called me,” she told them.

Sam and Dean looked at each other not sure how to take this soft spoken woman. Dean barely remembered her from his childhood and Sam had no memory of her but what had been told to him recently.

“No Dean, I don’t have any cookies, but I did make a fresh peach pie, will that do?” she asked giving him a knowing look. 

“How’d you...” Dean started but stopped quickly and clamped his mouth shut when he realized she had read his mind. 

“Why don’t we eat while it’s hot,” Sam offered seeing and feeling Dean’s discomfort.

“There’s plates and glasses in the cabinet over there Sam and silverware in the drawer by the sink Dean and I have some iced tea in the fridge if you’ll get that out,” Missouri told them. She opened one of the bags Sam sat on the table and began to pull containers of food out. 

The brothers moved around the kitchen doing as they were asked. Sam set the table and put the silverware out that Dean laid near him. The aroma of food was making his mouth water and he quickly finished up so he could sit down ready to eat.

“Okay, well I for one am ready to eat,” Dean said pouring tea and taking a seat.

“Me too,” Sam agreed taking a container and spooning food onto his plate. He passed it to Missouri and accepted a glass of tea Dean offered him. “Thanks.”

“I think you boys did good here,” Missouri commented knowing they had chosen the right place to get takeout.

They filled their plates and began to eat, only making small talk during the meal. Each enjoyed their food and when they were done, the brothers did the dishes while Missouri put away the leftovers. When the kitchen was clean, Missouri started a pot of coffee and got out small plates for the pie. They were going to have dessert in the living room and talk. 

Neither brother mentioned what was going on or why they came to see her, but she could sense Dean’s worry and concern, and was surprised when she could not get a reading from Sam. It was like he was blocking anyone from seeing his thoughts. This told her that he had some strong powers inside of him and she wondered if he knew how powerful he could become.


	7. Chapter 7

Dean hummed in delight as he took a huge bite of the peach pie only to get kicked in the shin by Sam who frowned at him and mouthed _‘manners’_ like he was a kid.

“What? It’s good,” he mumbled cutting another bite.

“That’s okay Sam, he was the same way as a kid,” Missouri laughed softly. “He did like my cookies the few times John came by with you two, even though you were too little to have one he always snuck you a bite when no one was watching.”

Sam looked over at Dean with interest as he tried to picture a smaller version of him feeding him a cookie when he was a baby. He never really knew much about growing up until he was old enough to remember for himself. He ate his pie and sipped on the coffee as he tried to get the courage up to talk to Missouri.

“I know you have questions Sam. I can tell things are weighing heavily on your soul. I think you have a story to tell me,” she encouraged sitting down her plate and leaning back in her chair allowing Sam the time he needed. 

Sam pushed the last bite of pie around on his plate as he steeled himself to tell her what happened to him. It was hard to say things out loud, but he didn’t want Missouri to see more than he wanted her to. Dean picked up their plates and took them to the kitchen to rinse before joining them again. He relaxed on the couch and gently butted shoulders with Sam to give him some encouragement and support. Dean wanted him to know he was there for him and he wasn’t alone.

“Two months ago, I was on my way to Stanford to start college. I wanted something more than hunting for myself, I was trying to be normal, well, as normal as I could be. I was taken by demons at the bus station…” Sam began keeping his voice low and his eyes downcast. He gave Missouri a cliff notes version of what had happened to him and how his powers came out after being forced to drink the demon blood. “The blood, it did something to me. It awakened a power within me that I’m still trying to comprehend. At first, all I wanted was revenge for what was done to me. It was like I was on autopilot and have no idea how I knew I could do what I did.” Sam drew in a shallow breath as he stopped for a moment, a faraway looking in his eyes. “When I killed the Yellow Eyed demon, I got out of that place and didn’t know what to do. I was scared, devastated, exhausted, overwhelmed, by what was done to me, I didn’t understand any of it. I stayed at a motel in the Catskills for a few days to rest up…” he paused and glanced sideways at Dean since he didn’t know this part and saw him stiffened and sit up straighter as he listened intently. “I found a cabin rental in West Virginia so I could continue to heal and come to terms with all this. I mean this is something I can’t just take off or wash away. It’s a part of me now. I started researching everything I could on psychic powers, and I tried to practice. I had no idea what I was doing…”

Dean couldn’t hide the anger and hurt from his facial expression. “Why didn’t you call me?” Dean butted in not understanding when Sam had gotten free, he had not contacted him. He tried not to be too forceful with Sam but couldn’t help it.

“I was afraid to Dean. I didn’t know how you would react to what had happened to me. I thought of myself as a freak, a monster, and didn’t know where I fit in anymore. Look at Dad’s reaction when I told everyone I killed the Demon,” Sam tried to explain, tears filling his eyes. “Dad was scared of me and wasn’t even sure I was his son,” Sam whispered as he looked down at the floor and swallowed the lump in his throat. “Even you were uncertain too Dean. You can’t deny it.”

“I was shocked and yeah, I guess I had my concerns, but not anymore, you know that. Dad didn’t understand, but you should have known I would never turn my back on you,” Dean told him, his voice serious and calm. “You’ll always be my little brother. So, you’ve changed a little, I don’t care, I will be by your side.” Dean never lost eye contact with Sam and when he looked down, cupped his face and made him look at him so he’d know he was telling him the truth.

Missouri studied the two brothers as they talked feeling the concern and hurt from the older but not quite able to read much from the younger. She could sense tremendous powers within, stronger than she’d seen in a very long time. She could feel the unrest, uncertainty, and fear in Sam, but he had done a good job putting up barriers of resistance so he couldn’t be read. Before Sam could reply to his brother, she spoke, “It was horrible what happened to you Sam, but you survived and now you are trying to find your place in this world again. Those events may have changed you, but didn’t take away who you are,” Missouri told him as she leaned forward to take his hand. “You came away with unknown powers so maybe I can help. I can tell both of you are tired and need some rest. Why don’t we talk more tomorrow?”

“I’d like that,” Sam agreed liking Missouri and her warm, gentle touch. She wasn’t pushy or demanding of him and seemed to know what he needed to hear.

“You boys get your bags and head on upstairs to the guest bedroom on the right. It’s got two twin beds and the bathroom is across the hall.”

“I’ll get our things,” Dean said. He got up and headed out to the car to get their bags. He came back in and found Sam and Missouri standing at the stairs waiting on him. 

“Now both of you get a good night’s sleep and I’ll fix us a nice breakfast in the morning.”

“Thanks Missouri,” Dean told her with a nod.

“Nite Missouri,” Sam whispered.

“Goodnight,” Dean said before trudging up the stairs. He was starting to run out of steam, getting still and having a full stomach was making him sleepy, plus the emotions that played out was the last straw. He walked down the hall and glanced into an open door to see two twin beds with handmade quilts on them. “Guess this is us.”

“You want the bathroom first?” Sam asked as he stepped into the bedroom and looked around. It was warm, cozy and inviting, giving Sam a calm and safe feeling. He sat down on the bed and bounced slightly to test the mattress for firmness. They had stayed in some god awful, rundown, disgusting motels over the years and it was nice to have a clean, comfortable place to sleep. 

“Fine with me,” Dean replied. He sat his duffle on the bed and got out his bathroom bag before stepping across the hall to the bathroom. He pulled out his toothbrush and paste as he thought about what Sam had said. He didn’t really say how long he had spent at this cabin, but it still upset him to think Sam wouldn’t call him for help. He got he was scared, overwhelmed, and unsure of himself and afraid of how Dean would see him. He knew he had to hide any doubts or uncertainty from Sam to keep his trust and not have him disappearing again. 

Dean finished his bathroom routine and stepped from the room back into the bedroom. He saw Sam sitting on the bed staring out the darkened window. He couldn’t see his face, but knew he was lost in his thoughts. Sam would do the same thing when he was young and trying to figure a problem out. “Hey, bathroom’s yours,” Dean spoke calmly, not wanting to startle him.

Sam stared out the window as his mind whirled and calculated the recent events trying to determine what the future might look like. He didn’t hear Dean come from the bathroom until he spoke. He jerked slightly and blinked rapidly as he pulled back in on himself and looked his way. “Thanks,” he mumbled getting up to get his small bathroom bag and slipping past his brother to the bathroom.

Dean turned on the small lamp between the beds and flipped off the overhead casting the room in shadows. He took off his clothes, leaving briefs and his T-shirt on before turning down the bed and slipping between the soft and sweet-smelling sheets. It seemed like his worries seemed to drain away as he lay there and listened to the creaks and settlings of the house. He didn’t know if it was because he felt safe here or if something else was at work, but his mind seemed to calm, and his anxiety lessened. Dean was almost asleep when Sam came back into the room and undressed before laying down.

“Dean,” Sam said softly. “You still awake?”

“Mmm…wh’ S’my?” Dean mumbled turning his head in the direction of his voice.

“I’m sorry for not calling you, you know, when I got free,” Sam tried to apologize. “I was afraid, and my mind was so scrambled by what I had just done and...Lost…I didn’t know if you could accept me as I am now. I’m not the same kid that left for college that night and I don’t think I ever will be again.”

“Sammy, I get it,” Dean replied pushing sleep back for a moment and turning to look at his brother. “I don’t know how you even survived what was done to you, but I’m glad you did and you’re still the same pain in the ass little brother with just a few improvements. Now get some rest and quit worrying so. We can talk la—ter…” he said, not able to suppress the yawn. “Nite.”

“Thanks bro, good night,” Sam whispered before reaching over to turn off the light. A small smile played across his lips and a heavy weight seemed to fall from his heart to hear those words from his brother. He was accepting him for who he was now, changed, modified, powerful, but still his little brother.

* * *

**A/N: Dean hopes Missouri can help Sam with what he is going through. I do love writing her in my stories. Thank you for taking this journey with me. I do like comments. NC**


	8. Chapter 8

The first rays of morning light woke Dean the next morning, and he glanced over to see his brother splayed out on his bed still snoring softly. He got up and grabbed his clothes before slipping into the bathroom to dress. He knew Sam needed the sleep and went downstairs to see if Missouri was awake. Plus, he wanted to talk to her alone without Sam listening to get her take on him. 

“My goodness you’re an early riser, aren’t you?” Missouri asked as he strolled into the kitchen to find her pouring a cup of coffee. “It just finished perking, if you’d like a cup.”

“Thanks,” Dean nodded taking a cup from the strainer and pouring coffee before joining her at the table. 

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, I did. Best I’ve had in a while.”

“Oh, this place has a way of doing that. We take care of each other,” Missouri commented as she glanced around the room with a warm smile and look on her face.

Dean was not sure how to take that as he cautiously looked around too, not sure what he expected to see. He did not know how he would react if he did see something and pushed it aside. He did not see anything out of the ordinary and wondered if she had warded the house or used a spell on it.

“I think there’s another reason you came down along isn’t there?” she questioned the young man able to read him without hardly trying. Missouri was sure Dean had no idea just how open he was to others who could see, thought he did try to hide it.

“I’m sure you already know,” Dean started staring down into his coffee. “Is he going to be okay?”

“I honestly don’t know how to answer that Dean. That child is still the same person he was before this happened to him, just with new abilities that he has barely tapped into. It’s up to Sam how he continues, and I will help him however he wants me to. I need to spend some time with him and observe him before I know how to answer your question. This is not an exact science and won’t happen overnight.”

“But you’ll try and help him?” he asked hopefully.

“I’ll do what I can honey, now quit your worrying so. It won’t do you or your brother any good. He’s just as worried about you as you are for him. I can sense a special bond between the two of you that only became stronger as you grew older. Let’s see how things go over the next couple of days before I draw any conclusions. How does ham, eggs, hash browns and biscuits sound for breakfast?”

“Wow, sounds great, but don’t go to all that trouble for us; I can run out and grab something,” Dean started.

“I’ll have none of that young man. Both you boys could do with some good home cooking,” she said getting up to open a drawer and pulling out an apron. “I’ll get the biscuits made up so they can be cooking and then get the rest started.”

“At least let me help then.”

“I get the feeling your brother likes healthy food, why don’t you cut up the cantaloupe that’s in the fridge to go with the meal?”

“I can do that,” Dean nodded looking in the fridge and finding the cantaloupe on the bottom shelf. He took it over to the sink and reached for a knife from a butcher’s block to use. Missouri handed him a bowl for the slices and a bag for the seeds and rind.

“Save the rind and I’ll put it in my compost barrel,” she told him.

“Okay,” he said as he cut it in half to remove the seeds and carefully peeled the rind off so he could slice it into the bowl. He listened to Missouri hum as she mixed the dough for biscuits. From what he could remember of her from his childhood, she had not changed a bit. A little older, of course, they both were, but she still had that soft spoken, gentle voice that made you feel safe. Once he had the melon sliced and ready to eat, Dean sat the bowl on the table. “Guess I should go get Sammy up so he can eat with us.”

“Don’t bother, honey, he’ll be down in a few minutes,” Missouri told him looking toward the doorway with a knowing look on her face.

“Oh, okay,” Dean replied glancing where she was looking and then around the kitchen not sure what to do next. He opened a cabinet and got out plates to set the table. He looked toward the doorway when he heard footsteps and saw Sam step into the room trying not to yawn and rubbing his eyes, his hair damp from a shower. Flashbacks of a five-year-old stepping into a room flooded Dean’s mind and he saw just how innocent Sam looked then and now. The only thing that made it seem wrong was the beard Sam was still sporting. Dean was not sure if he should suggest he shave it off or not. Maybe this was his way of showing that he was different now, not only with psychic powers but physically too.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” Sam asked looking to Dean almost pouting like his younger self would.

“You were sleeping so deeply I hated to disturb you. Anyways, it’s not like we have a schedule to keep,” Dean shrugged. “Missouri made biscuits,” he offered as the aroma wafted from the oven.

“I have homemade jams to go on them or honey,” Missouri added.

“You’re too good to us,” Sam praised her. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had homecooked meals, besides what Dean cooks at Bobby’s. He likes to grill.”

“I love to cook and to have two strapping, young men to do it for makes me feel useful and happy to see you enjoy my creations.”

“Well, you can create all you want, I’m game,” Dean said. His eagerness showing as he sat what Missouri pulled from the fridge onto the table.

“Hush now,” she chuckled at Dean’s words. “I’ll have everything ready in five minutes so get your coffees and take a seat.”

“Do you want me to pour you a cup?” Sam asked as he got a cup and doctored it to his liking.

“I think I’ll have some hot tea this morning,” she told him as she stirred the eggs to cook them evenly.

“Dean, can you get the biscuits out of the oven without burning yourself?”

“Please!” he scoffed picking up a potholder and moving to the oven. He opened the door to the oven and pulled out the hot pan. 

“You may need two pot…” Missouri started but Dean was already finding that out as he hurried to the counter.

“Shit! Hot, hot!” he hissed as he got the pan to the counter and onto a dish towel. He blew on a couple of fingers that felt the heat of the pan more.

“Too hot for you to handle, ummm Dean?” Sam laughed rolling his eyes at his brother’s juggling act.

“At least I didn’t drop them smarty,” Dean surmised taking a plate and carefully transferring the hot biscuits to it so he could put them on the table. “Sorry for the cussing Missouri.”

“That’s okay Dean. Alright children take your places and let’s eat while it’s hot,” Missouri said. She sat the bowl of eggs on the table and turned to pour a cup of tea before sitting down.

Dean started to reach for a bowl when Sam hissed at him and shook his head no, frowning at him. He mouthed _‘wait for Missouri’,_ to get the finger from Dean who quickly hid it when Missouri spoke to them while she made her tea.

“That’s alright Sam, Dean was an impatient child and it seems things haven’t changed,” she told them with a chuckle. “Don’t think I didn’t see that Dean Winchester,” she chastised him without actually turning around to see him or what he had done.

Sam smirked at him as Dean had the decency to blush slightly as he quickly hid his hands in his lap. He looked at Missouri’s back with more respect and waited for her to sit down at the table.

“Well, start passing the food Dean, you look like a cat ready to pounce on a mouse,” Missouri laughed softly as she took a biscuit and passed the plate to Sam.

Dean picked up the scrambled eggs and spooned them onto his plate and passed the bowl to Missouri. He took the plate of biscuits and dropped two on his plate before grabbing some homemade jam to slather in the middle of them. Once everyone had filled their plates they began to eat with gusto. 

Sam did not realize how hungry he was until the first bite and it was amazing. The biscuits were so tender and fluffy and putting the jam on them made them that much better. Dean was humming and nodding his approval since his mouth was full of food. Missouri beamed with their praise and made them have seconds. The brothers offered to wash the dishes while Missouri put away the few leftovers.

**spn**

“Dean, will you be a dear and run to the store for me and pick up a few things?” Missouri asked once the kitchen had been cleaned. She placed a list on the table for him with some money.

“Sure, Sammy and I can do that,” Dean said.

“No, just you honey. Sam and I are going to talk while you’re gone.”

“But…” Dean started looking between the two with uncertainty. He was not sure that he wanted to be left out of their _‘talk’_ as she called it. “Shouldn’t I stay?” He knew Sam did not really know Missouri because he was so young when their father came to see her all those years ago and was not sure if he was comfortable being left alone with her.

“Now Dean, Sam’s an adult and doesn’t need you holding his hand like a child,” she suggested to him. “Maybe he’ll feel better talking to me alone at first.”

“It’s alright Dean. It’ll give you something to do,” Sam answered knowing that was what she was doing. If he stayed Sam knew he would be fretting and pacing, and it would make it that much harder for Sam to open himself up.

“Fine,” Dean huffed picking up the list and money. “Could’ve just told me you wanted me out of the house,” he mumbled under his breath but clamped his lips shut when he saw the slightly annoyed look Missouri was giving him. “Text me if you need me back sooner,” he grunted.

Sam waited until Dean had left the house before turning to Missouri. “Where do we start?”

“Why don’t we got outside and get some fresh air?” Missouri offered. She could feel how tense and nervous Sam was but could not really read him. They went out the backdoor and into the backyard where Missouri had her garden and workshop. She grew herbs that she sold to add to her income, along with her psychic readings.

“This is nice,” Sam commented looking around at the quiet and peaceful place. He saw birds on several bird feeders positioned around the yard, butterflies catching small puffs of wind to move from one flower to another as they gathered nectar, and squirrels chattering angrily in the trees along the edge of the yard. A six-foot-tall fence surrounded the property giving it privacy and keeping the outside world at bay. 

He followed her to the garden that took up a large section of the yard and watched as she bent to pull some weeds and knelt to help. He never knew how relaxing it could be to pull weeds and dig his hands into the rich, dark soil. He was never exposed to gardening growing up, so this was all new to him.

“Watch you don’t pull up a plant now Sam,” Missouri cautioned him as she let him continue on his own.

“Yea ma’am.” He moved slowly down the row ridding it of weeds he dropped into a bucket Missouri sat nearby. 

“Be honest with me Sam, how are you feeling?” Missouri asked softly. She let Sam continue pulling weeds seeing it was helping him to calm his troubled mind.

Sam stopped for a moment as he gave the question some thought before answering. “I think…Well, better than I was now that I have Dean with me. Those weeks I was at the cabin alone were hard, really hard. I wanted to call him so badly, but I was…Scared of what his reactions would be when he learned the truth about me.”

“That you had changed and now had these abilities?”

“Yeah, what the demons did to me, making me drink the blood, it brought about changes inside of me, making me different. How could I tell him I was a…Freak, and what some would call a monster? I mean, there are hunters out there that would hunt me down and kill me and not think anything of it. They would think they were doing something good for the world. I couldn’t bear the thought of Dean thinking that of me,” Sam answered, keeping his face turned downward to continue pulling weeds. He could feel the wetness in his eyes but blinked it away, not willing to let his tears fall.

“Just because you’ve developed psychic abilities doesn’t make you a freak, or monster, child. It just makes you unique. Who you are never changed Sam.”

“It’s hard not to feel that way,” Sam sighed sitting back on his heels for a moment before moving to another row. “I’m not normal like Dean or our Dad or Bobby. I’ve been infected and cursed and there’s no way of reversing it. I could feel Dad’s disbelief and fright and uncertainty about me when I told them I killed Yellow Eyes. He…He thought I had become someone to fear and that I was evil…” Sam’s voice trailed off as he cleared his throat but did not continue.

“Some people only see the black and white of things and don’t realize the grey areas that are there. Your Daddy doesn’t understand right now, and that creates panic and apprehension within him. You have to give him a chance, I think he’ll come around. I can feel how strong you are, but you have barriers up and I can’t see much else. Do you trust me enough to lower them and let me see?”

Sam stood when he got to the end of the row and brushed his hand on the butt of his jeans. He looked down at the clean rows for a moment before looking over at her shaking his head yes. He did trust her and did not think she would do anything to harm him, but it still did not take away all the doubt he had.

“Why don’t we go sit in the chairs under the trees over there and relax?” she suggested. 

Sam followed her to two chairs that were sitting under a large shade tree. He took a seat and let the cool breeze blow on his face and waited for Missouri to settle next to him. He could feel the hint of autumn in the air and knew winter would be here soon.

“Alright Sam, there’s one thing you need to decide for yourself, because no one else can do it for you, can you accept what has happened to you and the changes that are happening? Are you willing to open your mind up to these powers or do you want to suppress them and keep them bottled up inside of you?”

“I’m not sure,” Sam mumbled worrying the hem of his jacket. “I know this can’t be changed, this is who I am now, and these abilities are a part of me. I might not like it, but I can’t deny them. I was given them to be used for evil, but why can’t they be used for good instead?” Sam paused and glanced up at Missouri who was studying him gentle eyes. “I think if I tried to ignore them or suppress them, it would make things worse. If I can learn to control them, I might be able to help save more lives and protect my brother when we hunt.”

“Using them might be dangerous to you, but I agree not learning to control them, could be much worse. It’s the person you are inside yourself Sam that will control whether you are good or evil.” Missouri reached a warm hand out and patted Sam’s arm. “The best thing for you is to have your brother at your side and include him in your training. I can feel a strong bond that links the two of you and when you are together it makes both of you that much stronger. If he sees and knows what you can do, maybe it will show him how capable you are and will keep him from worrying about you. Be honest with him and let him stand by your side. I think you will find he’s more flexible and open about this than you know.”

“Yeah, I do need to be honest with him. It won’t do either of us any good to hide things. He needs to see I can take care of myself and maybe he’ll accept I’m not a kid anymore. Maybe he’ll let me grow up.”

“Don’t be too hard on him Sam, Dean has had the role of protector for you since you were born. You should have seen him when you were a baby and both of you just lost your Momma. You couldn’t make a sound that he wasn’t by your side to take care of you. That poor boy became an adult almost overnight.”

“Yeah, he always looked out for me and took care of me growing up,” Sam sighed softly staring off across the yard lost in thought.

“So, shall we get started?” she asked. “Just relax Sam, I won’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable. You just need to tell me to stop and I will,” she assured him. 

“Alright,” he replied as he took a couple of slow breaths and closed his eyes. He began to take down his walls making himself open to her. The first touch was gentle and cautious as he felt Missouri reach into his mind. He tried not to flinch or push her out and remained still. He was not sure how long they had been sitting there when he felt her hand on his arm and her soft voice calling to him.

“Thank you, Sam,” she said.

“What did you see?” he asked anxiously.

“Well, I can tell you some of the abilities you have, you were born with. You’re a natural psychic and the abilities would probably have come out or they could have remained dormant inside of you. That is something that is hard to determine. What was done to you just amplified them and seems to have brought out others. You said you tried to train yourself, what have you done?”

“I can move things with my mind, and I think I have visions. I saw Dad being killed by ghouls and that’s when I found Dean and we went to save him. I tried astral projection, but wasn’t too good at it, and I was able to kill the demons that took me with my thoughts. Well, I think I did anyway. It was weird. When I faced Azazel, the Yellow Eyed Demon, I could feel the intensity growing inside of me. It was like nothing I’ve ever felt. Something happened then, like a huge surge of power and any demons near me died and so did Azazel,” Sam rattled on feeling good to tell someone about his feelings. “And I can kind of do this,” he continued holding his arm up to rub his index finger and thumb together as he concentrated for a moment before a small flame suddenly appeared. It only lasted for five seconds and then it was gone.

“I’m impressed Sam. Have you tried seeing auras or any of the other abilities?”

“I read about a lot of them, but I’ve not tried any others. I was kind of scared to since I didn’t know if I could control them. I have a book full of research and notes on my training if you’d like to read it.”

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary but thank you for trusting me enough to offer. Do you know meditation Sam? Do you have a way to calm your thoughts and center yourself?”

“Not really, I’ve read a little about it,” he shrugged. “Wasn’t something we grew up with, so it wasn’t something I learned.”

“Let me walk you through the steps. It’s good to know to help you relax and open your mind. Now close your eyes and breath slowly and evenly…” Missouri told him. She walked him through the steps and worked with him until he was comfortable doing it on his own. “Shall we stop for now? Your brother is anxious, and pacing the kitchen worried about you. He’s concerned you might hurt yourself trying to use your powers.”

“You can feel that?”

“You can too if you focus on him. He’s looking out the kitchen window.”

Sam looked toward the house and could see the shadow of his brother staring out at them. Sam’s brow creased slightly as he reached out to his brother and felt it. “I got it. I can feel him,” Sam nodded, a small smile tweeting the corners of his mouth. “I better go let him know I’m okay before he hurts himself,” he chuckled.

“I’m going to dump the weeds and will be right in. We can continue this, this afternoon if you like,” she replied watching him stroll toward the house and saw Dean step out onto the deck to meet him. 

“I would,” he called over his shoulder before turning back to his worried brother giving him a small smile. He watched Dean give him a once over before throwing an arm around his shoulders and giving a squeeze of assurance, more for him than for Sam. Sam felt a warmth spread through him just knowing Dean was there for him, wherever this lead them.

* * *

**A/N: We find out a little more about Sam’s powers and how protective Dean still is. Comments do make my day. NC**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: A chapter to get you over hump day. Enjoy….**

“How are things going Sammy?” Dean asked cautiously as Sam climbed the couple of steps to the deck.

“We talked and I think I know how to proceed now. We’re going to continue this afternoon if you want to be there?”

“You don’t mind me sitting in?”

“No, I think it’s a good idea,” Sam said. “And Missouri was the one who suggested it.”

“Good,” Dean agreed glad he was being included now.

“Did you find everything on the list?” Missouri asked as she neared the brothers.

“Yep, no problem,” Dean replied.

“Have you been by your old house?” she questioned.

Dean faltered in his steps and tensed with the question. He had been avoiding the street even thought it was only a short distance away from Missouri’s house. He put on a neutral face, trying to hide his uneasiness before answering, “No, not sure I want to.”

“I understand Dean, there’s a lot of bad memories in that place, but you have to remember there are good ones too, don’t let those be taken away from you,” Missouri surmised.

“Does anyone live there?” Sam asked, curious about the place. He had only seen the house in the background of a picture their father kept in his journal.

“I believe so,” Missouri said. “I think it’s a young couple with two kids. Haven’t been there long. It sat empty for a long time after the fire before it was fixed up and rented out.”

“I’d like to go by and see it,” Sam said. “You don’t have to come Dean; I can go on my own,” he continued when he saw the look of disbelief on Dean’s face. 

“I can’t let you do that bro.”

“The place doesn’t have the same meaning to me as you, I’ll be okay.”

“If you go, I go,” Dean stated firmly. “I won’t let you go alone.”

“Alright. Have you talked to Bobby today?” he asked changing the subject when he saw Dean getting agitated.

“I was going to call and see how things were going. Maybe I’ll do it this afternoon if he hasn’t called me first.”

“Why don’t you boys help me in my workshop? I could use a little muscle moving some things around and getting ready for harvesting my herbs before cold weather gets here,” Missouri asked. She knew keeping them busy with small tasks would help reduce the worry and stress they were both feeling.

“Sure, we can do that,” Dean said. “You just have to tell us what you want done.”

They stepped from the deck and followed Missouri across the yard to her workshop. She pulled a key from her pocket to unlock the door allowing them entrance into the building. Their noses were bombarded with different scents from herbs that were hanging around the room drying and others that were chopped up in trays sitting on tables on two sides of the room. There were shelves with small jars and boxes with zip lock baggies full of a variety of herbs, spices, and such. Dean and Sam looked around in wonder and with interest. The sunlight shone in a side window, giving the place a sort of magical feeling.

“If you’ll get down those two boxes over there on the top shelf and I need to pack up these herbs to sell,” she instructed, pointing to what she needed.

The brothers moved to do her bidding and helped her in the workshop for nearly three hours getting orders ready to go out and helping gather herbs from the garden to hang to dry on lines stretched around the room. Once Missouri saw they had finished all that could be done, she called it quits for the day and that it was time for lunch. They headed back to the house and she sent the brothers upstairs to clean up while she got lunch ready. 

**spn**

“Shall we go to my study and continue our work?” Missouri asked Sam once the kitchen was cleaned from lunch. 

“Yes, I asked Dean to join us,” Sam replied looking over at his brother feeling a little shy for Dean to see him use his powers.

“Good, I think that’s wise,” she said. Missouri led them down the hall off the kitchen to a room that had the door closed. She opened it and switched on the light before stepping on into the room. 

Sam stepped in and was followed by Dean. They surveyed the room, checking out the round table sitting in the middle of it, bookcases filled with books of all sizes and age, and a cabinet with doors. Missouri moved to the cabinet pulling open the top doors to reveal shelves and cubby holes filled with all manners of mythical items. She pulled an incense holder and fingered several different kinds before taking one. She set it up on the table and lit the incense allowing a spiral of smoke to rise toward the ceiling. The room slowly filled with a mild, scented, woodsy odor with a hint of spice. Missouri sat a speckled color rock, the size of a tennis ball, but flatter, on the table near Sam before speaking.

“Sit,” she told the boys as she pulled a chair out to sit herself. “Now Sam, let’s try a few things. I want you to relax and move the rock for me.”

Sam fidgeted in the chair for a moment before he turned his focus on the rock. This should be easy since he had been moving larger things for a while now. Within a few seconds the rock tilted slightly and then it rose off the table and Sam held out his hand, moving it to land on his palm. Sam let it rest there for a moment before lifting it again and spinning it in the air before sitting it back down on the table. He smiled at Missouri as she studied him and looked to Dean who hadn’t taken his eyes off his brother. She could sense some mixed emotions thought he was doing a good job of hiding them.

“Very good. It seems you’ve mastered that one. When you told me you had what you thought was a vision can you describe it to me?”

“I think I can do better than that,” Sam said. “May I?” he asked holding out his hand for her to take.

Missouri cocked her head slightly as she laid her hand into his and waited. Sam closed his eyes and tightened his grip on her hand and pulled up the memory of the vision. He let her see what happened to him the day he had the vision of his father. He closed his eyes and winced, remembering the pain that came with it. After it played out in his head, Sam let go of Missouri’s hand and sat back, rubbing his temple when an ache began to build behind his eyes.

“You were in a lot of pain, I could tell,” Missouri finally spoke. “Maybe I can help with that. I know you can’t control when you have a vision, but maybe I can lessen the ordeal it takes out of you. Did you feel anything when it started that would let you know one was triggered?”

“There was a sharp pain in my head that got worse and I felt sort of off balance and a little dizzy.”

“Okay that’s good, if you start to feel like that again, don’t try to stop it, let it come out and happen. Sit, lay down, whatever you need to do to be comfortable, do it. A vision is not going to hurt you. What you are seeing are future events that might or might not take place. Since you’ve only had one, I can’t say what might trigger them. But if you accept and let it come, don’t resist it, that might lessen the pain and will help you to see the vision clearer. Think of it as a dream and you’re watching it play out in front of you.”

“I’ll try, but what if I don’t have another one?”

“Then you move on. If it is something you were meant to develop, I think it will present itself again,” Missouri explained. “Sam, your potential is enormous. Like I told you before, some of these abilities are natural, you’ve had them since birth and others are manifesting the stronger you become. But one thing you need to do is not be afraid of them. You are the one in control, not the other way around. Whatever this demon had planned for you is not going to happen now that it is dead, so embrace them, learn them, let them become a part of you and accept them.”

“Okay, I’ll try,” Sam said. He looked down at his hands because he could feel surprise in Dean’s thoughts when he listened to Missouri talking about his powers.

“And you,” she said turning to Dean who looked uncertain when he was put in the spotlight. “You have decisions to make too. Sam is still your brother, maybe not the brother from before the kidnapping, but nevertheless, he is still Sam and he’s going to need your support and help as he finds his place in this world. Can you accept him like he is or is this going to be a problem? If you can’t, then walk away now and let Sam mourn the loss so he can move on. It’s better it happens now than later.” Missouri paused as Dean thoughts lashed out at her. “Don’t get all riled at me Dean, and no need for that language,” she chastised him as he started to open his mouth, but she had already seen his thoughts.

Sam looked to Dean a hint of fear in his eyes, but he spoke. “It’s okay Dean, if this is too much for you, I understand. This was never part of the plan for either of us. If you do want to leave I can….”

“Stop it!” Dean spat out madly and with venom. “Why are both of you throwing me out the door? Do you think I would abandon you Sammy when you need me? I told you before, you’re still my brother and just because you can do this crap doesn’t mean I would leave. Hell Sammy, you could be our secret weapon out there against the monsters. You still need someone to watch your back and keep you in line, so, who’s better at that than me?”

“I was sure you’d feel that way child. I just wanted you to know it too,” Missouri said. She reached over and patted Dean’s clenched fist until he relaxed it and smiled at him. “I know some of what Sam can do might scare you, but you need to talk to him. Ask questions so you understand. You’ll be his anchor to reality because he might need it at times. Be the big brother you have always been to him.”

“Missouri is right, if you have questions or concerns ask me,” Sam added. “I promise not to keep anything from you if you promise to do the same. If you don’t feel comfortable with something, you tell me. It’s a two-way street here for us and I…I want you here with me.”

“I think that sounds reasonable don’t you agree Dean?” Missouri questioned.

Dean sat there mulling over what they both said. He looked up at his brother seeing he was waiting for a response. “Yeah, I can do that. But you gotta tell me about things, no matter what and even if they’re bad okay?”

“I will,” Sam agreed.

“C’mon bro, I got some beers, I think we both need one,” Dean stated. He got up and pulled Sam from the room and toward the kitchen deciding he didn’t want any more of this conversation. 

“Hey!” Sam complained as Dean manhandled him toward the kitchen. “What’s wrong?”

“Look, what you can do, I get it, you want to help, but Sammy you’ve got to be careful too. You know how some hunters will see this and I don’t want you to be in danger,” Dean stated. He went to the fridge and pulled two beers out, handing one to Sam.

“Look Dean, I understand that just as well as you do. I won’t be showing off to anyone or putting myself at risk,” Sam offered. “I know I have to be careful, I read Dad’s reaction to knowing I killed the Demon. I know you think he’ll change and maybe he will; I don’t know but I want to stay here and learn all I can from Missouri. If you want to head for Bobby’s that’s fine, we can meet up later.”

“Not happening dude,” Dean said. “I’m not letting you go anywhere alone right now, and you should know that. Wait, you’ve been reading my thoughts, haven’t you?”

Sam looked away and could feel his cheeks grow hot as he tried to figure out how to answer without seeming prying and intrusive. “Only once or twice, but I really didn’t mean to,” he responded quietly glancing up and quickly looking back down. “It’s just you think so loud and sometimes I can’t help it.”

“It’s okay Sammy, we could pretty much do that anyway. But bro, if you want to know what I’m thinking, ask me okay?”

“Yeah Dean, I can do that. I’m sorry ‘bout the other times.”

“No worries bitch,” Dean smirked.

“Jerk,” Sam shot back feeling the tension ease between them. 

“So, wanna go out on the deck and relax and enjoy the last of the sunshine?”

Dean bumped shoulders with Sam as they headed for the backdoor and stepped out onto the deck to enjoying the end of the day together. An understanding and peace had been made between the brothers and it was what both needed.

* * *

**A/N: Dean has made it clear he’s going to be there for Sam, no matter what. This give Sam the confidence he needs to continue to train. Thank you for taking this journey with me. I do like comments. NC**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thank you for reading my creation. I do like comments. NC**

* * *

Dean heard a cell ringing and went in search of his jacket to answer it. He pulled it out and flipped it open. “Hello,” he said.

_“Thought I’d call and let you know yer Daddy is being released in the morning_ ,” Bobby told him.

“I’m sure Dad pressed the issue for that to happen,” he chuckled softly.

_“The doc only agreed if he would take it easy for at least a week and give his body time to heal. He’s going to come home with me for a while.”_

“Good. Hopefully maybe he’ll rest and do that.”

_“How’s Sam?”_

“I think he’s getting a handle on things and Missouri is going to do what she can to help.”

_“That’s good. I knew if anyone might be able to lend a hand it was her. How **are you** handling all this?” _

“I’m keeping an open mind and trying to show Sammy I will be there for him, no matter what. I think I’ve convinced him of it.”

_“That’s good Dean. Sam needs to know we’re here for him. I’ll talk to John and see if I can reason with him.”_

“Good luck with that. Dad will have to come to terms with this if he wants a relationship with either of us,” Dean stated firmly showing his anger. “He has to see past these powers and see Sam is still his son, that hasn’t changed.”

_“Take it easy son, I think he’ll come around. You just take care of yer brother and yourself.”_

“I will Bobby. Let me know when you get home with Dad.”

_“I will, if you need anything you call me.”_

“Okay Bobby, bye,” Dean said ending the call and dropping his cell back in his jacket pocket. He saw the shadow of his brother disappear around the corner and knew Sam had been listening to his conversation. He swore under his breath not sure how Sam was going to react to what he said about their Dad. That was still a touchy subject that neither of them had broached yet. He knew they needed to talk about it, but Dean wanted to let Sam settle first before possibly upsetting him again. 

Sam had been passing when he heard Dean answer his cell and knew he was talking to Bobby about their father. He couldn’t help himself as he stood in the hallway listening to Dean’s side of the conversation. He suddenly stiffened and sucked in a sharp, quiet breath when he heard his brother say, _‘Dad will have to come to terms with this if he wants a relationship with either of us,’_ and caught his lower lip between his teeth, biting so hard he tasted blood. He slid around the corner and hurried outside into the late afternoon, letting the last dying rays of sunlight shine on him hoping it might warm his cold body. He wrapped his arms around his body and shivered, before stepping on into the yard and toward the shed. Sam had seen bird food sitting in a plastic bucket just inside the door and decided to fill the birdfeeders for Missouri. He had to do something to take his mind off what he had heard. He carried the bucket to the feeders and started filling them one, by one.

Dean met Missouri coming down the hall and let her step into the kitchen first. He followed her and looked around for his brother and frowned when he didn’t see him. 

“I think he’s outside Dean,” Missouri offered. “I’m going to start some dinner for us. It should be ready in about an hour or so.”

“Thanks,” Dean nodded moving to the door and stepping onto the deck. He saw Sam by the feeders and watched him fill one before moving to another. He didn’t go to him. Dean got the feeling he needed to be alone right now and walked back inside. 

**spn**

After putting the bird food back in the shed, Sam decided to take a walk and went out the side gate and strolled by their cars as he headed down the road. He wanted to clear his head and wasn’t paying attention to where he was walking until he looked up and realized he was on the street where they used to live. He stopped short and looked a couple houses down and saw it. It looked like the house in the picture he had seen in his Dad’s journal. Sam walked slowly down the street and stopped in front of it to stare at it with wonderment. 

He jumped slightly when the front door opened, and a man and woman and two kids came out and went to a van parked in the driveway to get in. He watched them back out and pull down the road past him, only giving him a casual glance. His gaze went back to the house again and he tried to picture his family living there. His eyes drifted to the second floor and to the window wondering if that had been his bedroom where their Mom had died in a fire. Sam stiffened when he thought he saw a shadow past by the second story window, but decided it was the light playing tricks on his eyes. He was lost in thought and didn’t realize how long he had been standing there.

A familiar rumble of a car engine pulled him back to reality and he looked down the street to see the Impala slowly rolling down it and stopping beside him. Dean rolled his window down and looked at Sam and then at the house before speaking.

“Figured I find you here,” Dean said.

“I was only taking a walk and ended up here,” Sam said innocently kicking at the dirt where he was standing. He felt like a little kid that got caught doing something he was told not to. 

“Get in, Missouri has dinner about ready,” Dean told him, keeping his voice calm and even.

Sam didn’t say anything else as he walked around the car and got in on the passenger side slumping down in the seat as he gave the house one last look. Dean put the car in gear and pulled down the street to turn around and head back to Missouri’s house. Dean remained quiet and didn’t comment on Sam’s walk or where he ended up, his own emotions raging inside of him. He stopped at her house and parked but sat in the car staring out the windshield.

“You okay Dean?” Sam asked softly.

Dean cleared his throat and wiped a hand down his face before shaking himself slightly. “Yeah I’m fine. We should go in.” Dean opened the door and got out heading for the front door. He didn’t look back to be sure Sam was following as he walked into the house. 

Sam could feel the rolling emotions in Dean’s mind and knew he was anything but fine. He quickly got out and hurried after him knowing Dean wasn’t going to talk right now so it wouldn’t do any good to press him.

“Good you’re back,” Missouri noted when Sam stepped into the kitchen. “I will have dinner ready in five minutes.”

Sam looked around but didn’t see his brother and looked back down the hall.

“He went upstairs,” she answered the question before he could ask. “He’ll be okay Sam, just give him a few minutes.”

“I didn’t mean to go there,” Sam confessed. “It’s just where I ended up.”

“It’s okay honey, you have to be curious about where you lived and being this close it’s only natural you’d want to see it.”

Sam opened his mouth to speak but stopped when Dean walked in his emotions locked down and a neutral look on his face. 

“Take a seat you two and let’s eat,” Missouri told them as she sat bowls of gumbo on the table and a plate of cornbread. “I have pecan pie for dessert so save some room.”

“I might have to marry you,” Dean said. 

“Get on with you,” Missouri laughed slapping at his arm as she sat down.

Sam remained quiet but quirked a small smile at his brother’s antics with Missouri. He could feel nothing from his brother and knew Dean had locked it away and was putting up his own walls.

They were almost finished with their meal when the sharp, piercing pain suddenly had Sam on his hands and knees beside the table, crying out in distress.

“Sammy! Sam what is it?” Dean asked dropping down beside him and looking quickly to Missouri for help.

“Let it come Sam, don’t fight it,” Missouri coaxed knowing Sam was having a vision. She laid a hand on his arm and tried to help him focus and ease the pain he was feeling. 

It was dark, but they could see the house in front of them. Sam’s breaths were coming fast, and his heart was racing. He looked at the house he had been to less than an hour ago and watched when a figure appeared in the window on the second floor and was pounding on it screaming for help. The darkness was lit up by flames that were building inside the house and Sam knew the family was going to die if he didn’t do something. He could hear Missouri talking softly to him, but it sounded far away and slightly mumbled. As suddenly as it started, the vision ended leaving Sam panting and ready to toss his cookies as he fought the bile in the back of his throat.

“You’re bleeding Sammy,” Dean said grasping him around the waist and helping him back into a chair. He looked around and accepted the damp cloth Missouri handed him. “Here,” Dean said. He wiped the blood away that was leaking from Sam’s nose. “Slow your breathing bro, your heart is racing.”

Sam knew Dean was saying something to him, but he felt his ears were clogged and he couldn’t tell what he was saying. The soft voice of Missouri resonated in his head, _‘Calm Sam, slow breaths, you’re scaring your brother._ ’ He tried to take deeper breaths like he was told and felt a cloth wipe over his face and looked with weak eyes at his brother’s concerned face. 

“That’s it,” Dean encouraged when he saw Sam breathing deeper and felt his pulse slowing.

“Our house…Family...Trouble…” he wheezed out accepting the glass of water from Missouri and bringing it to his trembling lips. His hand was shaking, and water spilled out until Dean steadied it for him and helped get it to his mouth. Sam gulped a mouth full, coughing as he choked but drank more until Dean pulled it away. When he thought he could talk, Sam continued, “We’ve got to help them or they’re going to die…”

“Okay Sammy,” Dean assured him. He kept his fingers pressed to his neck monitoring his pulse until it slowed, and he was breathing better.

“Did you see?” Sam asked Missouri.

“Most of it, yes. That family needs our help.”

“Someone wanna fill me in?” Dean asked looking from one face to the other waiting for an answer. “What just happened here?”

“Sam had a vision of a future event,” Missouri explained.

“Was it supposed to be that painful and his nose bleed like that?” Dean questioned looking to Missouri for the answer.

“Sam is learning still Dean. It may be painful until he can open himself more and let it happen.”

“We need to go warn that family,” Sam butted in.

“What did you see Sammy?” Dean asked him.

“It was our old house. Something’s in there and that family is going to die if we don’t warn them!” Sam said, desperation in his eyes. “We need to go see them now.”

“And tell them what?” Dean asked. “There’s something haunting your house and you need to leave? Yeah, that’ll go over really well. Get us thrown in jail or worse a padded room.”

“I can’t sit here and do nothing Dean,” he insisted trying to get up only to be pushed back down by Dean’s strong hand.

“You stay here Sammy; I’ll go check it out.”

“Not without me Dean!”

Dean looked at his brother’s unwavering face and knew he wasn’t going to be left out of this. He pinched his lips together in a tight line as he weighed his options. Only way to keep him out of this was knock him out or tie him up and he didn’t think Sam was going to let him do that.

“I wouldn’t try it Dean, I’ll stop you first,” Sam said calmly, looking up into his eyes filled with determination and seriousness. 

Sam wasn’t going to let Dean exclude him from this, not this time.


	11. Chapter 11

“I don’t know about this Sam, who are we supposed to be here? Cops? FBI? Gas company?” Dean complained as they walked up the sidewalk to their old home. He was already feeling the apprehension about stepping back into this house, one he had not seen in nearly eighteen years.

“We be ourselves, follow my lead,” Sam replied as he rang the bell. They waited until the door was opened by a guy who looked to be in his early thirty’s.

“May I help you?” he asked looking at the two brothers.

“Hi, my name is Sam, and this is my brother, Dean. We don’t mean to disturb you, but we were passing through town and decided to stop to see our old house here. My brother and I lived here when we were young. I was wondering if maybe we could see the place if it wouldn’t be too much trouble,” Sam asked giving his best friendly look and didn’t realize he was using his power of suggestion on the guy.

“I don’t see why not, come on in,” the man said. “I’m Cameron. Excuse the boxes, we’ve just moved in a few weeks ago and haven’t got everything unpacked yet.”

“That’s fine,” Sam told him. He looked around the room in wonder, seeing this for the first time.

Dean stepped in with him and all he could look at was the stairs that he carried his little brother down while their Mom burned to death on the ceiling of the nursery upstairs. He was pulled back to reality when Sam poked him in the ribs to get his attention.

“Daddy!” a young girl cried as she ran to her father and hugged him. She looked warily at the two strangers.

“This is my daughter Elise. Sweetheart, this is Sam and Dean, they used to live here when they were kids.”

“Really? Did it have a ghost back then too?” she asked innocently.

Sam and Dean looked at each other for a moment before Sam squatted down to her level and asked, “What ghost Elise?”

“It’s in my closet. I see it at night sometimes. It’s on fire.”

“Does it try to hurt you?” Sam asked.

“No,” she replied shyly.

“You’ll have to excuse her; she’s got a vivid imagination. I think it’s the move and the new house.” Cameron told them patting Elise on the head.

“Honey who are you talking to?” a woman asked as she stepped from another room with a young boy in her arms.

“This is Sam and Dean, Babe, they lived here when they were kids. They stopped by hoping to see the house. This is my wife, Maggie and our son, Clint.”

“Nice to meet you,” Sam greeted her and smiled to Clint.

“Dean, wait, your name is on the pantry’s door frame,” she said. “Did you get measured as you got taller?”

“Yeah, my Mom would do it,” Dean answered trying to keep the emotion from his voice. He remembered the last time that was done right before the fire.

“How do you like the place?” Sam asked.

“I don’t want to ditch your home or anything, but I think we have mice and the wiring is going haywire some of the time, lights blinking on and off. I’ve called an exterminator to come out, but they can’t seem to find any rodents and the electrician checked to fuse box and suggested replacing it. Clint got out of his play pen and almost fell down the basement steps. Maggie and I both were sure the door was locked and have no idea how it got opened. Elise got trapped in a closet upstairs. Had to take the door off its hinges to get her out. There’s some things that need worked on, but I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“That’s alright, it is getting pretty old,” Sam replied. “Do you mind if we look downstairs? Maybe we can see something they missed.”

“Are you some type of pest control guys?”

“In a way. Won’t cost you anything,” Dean added.

“Sure, I can’t see it would hurt anything, just watch yourself down there. We haven’t really cleaned up or anything so there’s no telling what you’ll find.”

“No worries, we’ve gone into worse places,” Dean assured him. 

They went to the door to the basement and Cameron handed them a flashlight, with Dean going first, the brothers walked down the steps into the basement.

“You heard what they said, what Elise said. There’s something here Dean and it’s not friendly.” Sam hissed. He looked around the basement and found a light switch. The light was dim but gave them enough brightness to see most of the room. The furnace, hot water heater and discarded pieces of furniture dotted the space. 

“Check over there,” Dean told him as he moved in the other direction. He looked around the space but didn’t see anything that would indicate mice had gotten in and could be causing the noises Cameron was hearing.

“Hey Dean, look at this,” Sam called to him from the far corner. 

“What ya got Sammy?” he asked hurrying to his side.

Sam was kneeling by a small metal locker that had the name Winchester painted on the lid. He tapped the locks to loosen them and opened it. Inside were photos of their family in this house, along with other personal items that their father had kept over the years. Sam pulled out a pair of tiny boots and turned them over in his hand. He saw a name on the inside of one and pulled Dean’s light closer. 

“These were yours Dean,” he said holding them up for him. 

Dean took the offered item and looked at them. He had to have been only a year old for these to have fit. He couldn’t believe they had been saved. He looked back at his brother and saw him holding the smallest ball glove he had ever seen. On the thumb was written ‘ _Sammy_ ’ in permanent marker. 

“Think they would mind if we took these with us?” Sam asked replacing the things and closing it lid. He wanted to go through the box and see what else was in there. This was a part of his life he knew very little about and wanted to learn more.

“Don’t see why not, it is ours after all. They’ve got no use for the stuff.”

Before Sam could pick up the box, a coldness settled over him and he stood up looking around. He could feel it. It was strong, not like most spirits they had come across. They were not alone down here.

“Dean!” Sam cried out as he threw up his hand to stop a screwdriver from being impaled into his brother’s body. He pulled up his powers and threw it away as he stepped in front of Dean to protect him. He threw up a barrier to protect them while searching for any sign of the spirit.

“What was that?” Dean asked flipping the light around trying to see where it came from.

“We need to get out of here,” Sam said backing toward the stairs. “Get the box Dean.” 

Dean picked up the metal box and moved to the stairs watching Sam move behind him. He didn’t take his eyes off him as he stepped onto the bottom step. He saw a saw blade flying quickly at them, but Sam was faster and fended it away before it could strike. Sam watched for anything that might be thrown at them as he cast his senses out trying to pick up on this spirit that had invaded their home.

“What is that?” Cameron asked when he saw the box Dean was carrying.

“It seems our Dad left it here when we moved out,” Dean said. “It has photos and things from out childhood. Do you mind if we take it with us?”

“That’s fine, it’s yours to begin with. Did you find anything in the basement?”

“No,” Sam said quickly. “Didn’t see any signs of mice, but if you like we can come back with some equipment this afternoon and give the house a thorough going over. You could take the family to the movies or something and out to eat.”

“What will this cost me?”

“Since this place has sentimental meaning to us, there’s no charge. You just go have a nice afternoon out and leave everything to us,” Dean encouraged.

“In that case, sure, why not. What time do you want us out of here?”

“How ‘bout say, two?” Sam suggested.

“Alright, we’ll see you back here then,” Cameron said walking them to the door.

“We’ll be back take care,” Sam nodded before following Dean outside and to the Impala. He opened the backdoor and sat the box in it before moving to the driver’s door to get in.

Sam dropped into the passenger seat his mind working overtime as he tried to devise a plan. They needed a way to get the spirit out of the house. He didn’t notice that Dean had started the Impala and was heading back to Missouri’s. He pulled in front of Sam’s car and parked on the road and killed the engine. 

Dean got out and started to the front door when he realized Sam wasn’t following. He turned back to see him still sitting in the passenger seat staring off into space. He went back and opened the door as he rapped on the top.

“Sammy, you comin’?”

It took a few seconds for what Dean asked to sink in and Sam blinked several times before turning to look at him. 

“We’re here; let’s go in and work out a plan,” Dean offered.

“Right, plan,” Sam mumbled as he fumbled with getting his feet from the wheel well and pulled himself up. He looked in the back at the metal box and decided to take it inside with him so he could look at the contents.

“Maybe Missouri can help.”

“Yes, good idea,” Sam agreed picking up the pace thinking she could help. He went inside and let his senses roam until he found her out on the deck. He headed that way to find her snapping green beans as she hummed to herself. He sat the box on a small table nearby before approaching her.

“Boys, how did it go?” she asked, but stopped and stood when she felt Dean’s concern. “What happened?”

“There’s a spirit of some kind haunting our house. It tried to kill Dean,” San rushed. “Do you think you can help us get rid of it?”

“What do you mean _‘of some kind’_ , Sam?”

“I felt it. It was powerful; not like most spirits we’ve dealt with before. I think it might be a poltergeist. I know it means harm to the family there. It’s already targeted the children.”

“Oh, those are nasty entities and the only way to cleanse the house is to put hex bags in the four corners of the compass and recite the spell,” she explained. “I will get the bags ready; can you get the family out of the house?”

“Already taken care of. They’re going to the movies at two and out to eat afterwards,” Dean said.

“Why don’t you boys go help yourselves to the sandwiches I made for lunch and rest before we have to go back over there?”

“I could go for a sandwich. You hungry Sammy?” 

“No, not really.”

“At least drink something child and try to eat a few bites. You will need the energy,” Missouri told him as she headed for her study.

“C’mon Sammy, keep me company.”

“Alright,” Sam huffed knowing Dean didn’t want him to be alone. He knew it scared him when he had the vision, even though it wasn’t happening to him, and he couldn’t blame him. And to find out the vision was coming true, made it even more frightening. It scared the hell out of him too.

“Why don’t we eat out here in the fresh air? I’ll grab some sandwiches and drinks,” Dean offered going inside to fix a tray for them.

Sam moved to the small picnic table and sat the box down beside him. He opened it and slowly began to remove items from it. He put the small mitt aside, along with Dean’s little boots. He pulled out a loose stack of photos and began to look through them seeing they were of John and Mary. He smiled seeing the looks of love on their faces for each other. Sam stopped at one photo that showed his Mom holding a bundle and flipped it over to read the back, _Mary and baby Dean_. He found others of Dean at different ages and then found one of Dean holding a baby and knew that was him. 

“What are you looking at?” Dean asked when he came back out and sat a tray on the table.

“Photos of us and Mom and Dad,” Sam said longingly. He pushed one toward Dean that showed their parents and Dean when he was about two at the beach.

“Look how young they look,” Dean sighed, rubbing a finger over the image. “Here, you need to eat, and you can finish looking at that stuff afterwards,” Dean insisted pushing his emotions back behind a door for now. He put a plate and drink in front of Sam and closed the box so he wouldn’t be tempted to keep looking. He could see the sadness on Sam’s face and in his eyes and didn’t want him falling into a funk.

“Okay,” Sam sighed stacking the few photos together and opening the box long enough to drop them back in. He would take time to look at them later and see what other treasures he could find in there. These things would give him a picture of what their lives had been like before the nursey fire and their Mom’s death. Maybe he could pull up other visions from the items.

Dean watched Sam as he sipped on his drink and finally picked up a half of his sandwich and took a small bite. He was going to make sure he ate something if they were going to be facing a poltergeist later in that day. He wanted Sam to be prepared.

* * *

**A/N: Sam has a vision of their old home and danger for the family living th** **ere. Now, if they can rid the house of this evil and save the family. I do like comments, if you can please leave one. NC**


	12. Chapter 12

Sam rang the doorbell of their old house and stepped back waiting for someone to answer the door. He looked down when Elise pulled the door open and looked up at them.

“Hi Elise, remember us?” Sam asked giving her a small smile.

“You used to live here,” she said shyly as she leaned her head back to look up at him.

“Honey, who’s at the door?” Cameron asked hurrying to her side. “Hello, good to see you again,” he greeted them and looked curiously to Missouri.

“This is a college of ours, Missouri Moseley. She’s going to help check the house out,” Sam offered.

“Hello there, young man,” Missouri greeted him in her soft spoken voice.

“Come in, we’re about ready to go. Are you sure about this? I could stay and help.”

“No, no, its best if we have the house to ourselves to work. Go enjoy some time with your family,” Dean replied.

“We’re ready Cameron,” Maggie said. She had a diaper bag over her shoulder and Clint in her arms.

“We’d better go then, the movie will be starting soon,” he said ushering his family from the house.

“We need to hurry, when it figures out what we are doing it will be very angry,” Missouri told them.

After they were sure the family was gone and safe, the three split up to start putting the hex bags in the four compass points of the house. 

Missouri headed to the basement and found an opening in the wall to put the bag before turning to head by upstairs. She was stopped by an old desk being pushed at her. “Begone you vile entity!” she spat waving her hand and tossing a special powder into the air to ward herself from its powers. She took the other bag and made her way to the opposite end of the house to stow the bag before heading upstairs to check on the boys.

Dean went into the kitchen and looked around, getting his bearings so he knew where the bag should go. He pulled out a hammer and tapped it on the wall inside a cabinet trying to find a hollow spot when things began to rattle around the kitchen. He turned in time to see knives, silverware, anything sharp hovering in the air before they were being thrown at him. He was quick enough to grab a wooden table and put it between himself and the flying objects. They impaled the table, none hitting Dean, which he was thankful. He turned back and quickly made the hole to drop the bag into the wall. Once it was done, he went in search for his brother.

Sam headed upstairs and walked down the hall glancing into each room. He stopped at the one that was his nursey and looked into it and up at the ceiling. Knowing he couldn’t waste time, Sam went down to the last bedroom and went inside. He looked around and went to the far wall to make a hole. He did not see the jump rope that was slowly slipping across the floor toward him. He sensed it, but by the time he turned, the rope tightened around his neck cutting off his air. Sam gasped and tried to cry out as he clawed at the rope, feeling his lungs starting to burn.

_“Dean!”_ he screamed in his mind as blackness started to overpower him. He didn’t hear the rushing of pounding feet as Dean ran into the room and tried to pull the rope from his neck. 

Dean staggered when his name echoed in his head and knew Sam was in trouble. He ran up the steps and down the hall to find him on the floor, his face turning red and a jump rope around his neck. He tried to unwrap it or loosen it but had no luck. Dean picked up the bag and kicked a hole in the wall, throwing the bag inside.

“Now Missouri! Now!” he screamed as loudly as he could.

Missouri heard his panicked cry and began to recite the spell. She had put the last bag in the wall and was waiting for the signal. As the last words were said, a huge burst of energy exploded through the house cleansing it of the spirit. The wave rocked the house, knocking books, figurines, papers, and other items to the floor before it suddenly became eerily quiet. 

“Sammy, hey dude, you gotta breath!” Dean urged his brother as he jerked the rope from his neck and watched as Sam finally drew in a raspy, hoarse breath. “That’s it bro, you’re okay,” Dean sighed hugging him to his chest as Sam drew more air into his starved lungs. He grabbed his face and turned it so he could see Sam’s eyes to know if he was okay.

“’ky,” Sam wheezed out, his throat sore and burning as he tried to swallow. He gently rubbed his neck where the red welt from the rope stood out against his white skin.

“Let’s get you out of here,” Dean told him helping him up onto unsteady legs. He guided Sam out the door and down the hall, only giving the room that was Sam’s nursey a glance as they went by it. He was too concerned about his brother to let those memories stop him.

“Is it over?” he asked Missouri once they got downstairs.

“Sam are you alright?” she questioned when she saw his tear stained face and heard his labored breathing.

He nodded yes not sure he could speak yet. 

“Alright, Dean did you bring the spackle to patch the holes we made?”

“Yeah. Sammy sit here while I take care of the holes,” Dean ordered him. “I’ll bring you some water first. Don’t move!”

Sam gave him a bitch face but did as he was told and sat down in a chair in the living room. He gladly accepted the cup of water and winced when he took the first sip and tried to swallow it. It took several attempts to get it swallowed but the coldness seemed to help. He looked around the room trying to sense if the spirit was really gone. He wasn’t sure why he still felt uneasy, but Missouri seemed at ease.

“Lands sake child what did you do in here?” Missouri asked when she saw the state of the kitchen. She started picking things up and replacing them in the cabinets and found a broom to sweep up what she could.

“Wasn’t my fault,” Dean fussed. He got the hole patched in the cabinet and headed upstairs to fix the one in the bedroom. It took a little longer since he had kicked it bigger to get the bag inside. Once it was fixed as best, he could, Dean gathered the tools and stepped from the room. He went down the hall and paused this time at the bedroom door that was Sam’s nursey. He looked inside seeing different furniture, but picturing the crib, rocking chair, and changing table that used to be in there. He could not stop his gaze from going to the ceiling and fought the tears that wet his eyes. He wiped a hand across his face before continuing downstairs. 

**spn**

“We’re back,” Cameron called as he opened the front door and looked around. He was carrying Elise who was asleep and laid her on the couch and Maddie settled Clint beside her so they could talk to the brothers and Missouri.

“Hope you had a good time,” Missouri said. “There was a little mess in the kitchen, but Dean and I got most of it cleaned up.”

“Is everything okay now?” Maddie asked looking around at things that were disturbed.

“I believe so, I have blessed the house so I think things will be fine.”

“Thank you,” Cameron told them, shaking their hands. 

“We should go,” Dean said. He wanted to get Sam back to Missouri’s so he could lay down.

“Goodbye,” Cameron and Maddie said, giving a final wave.

Dean gave a wave back and steered Sam out and to the Impala. He waited for Missouri to get in back before cranking her and driving away.

**spn**

“You are to lay down and rest,” Dean stated as Missouri opened the door to her house to let them in. “No talking either,” he added when Sam opened his mouth to object.

Sam gave him a bitch face as he clamped his mouth shut, cutting off his retort. He took a seat on the couch when Dean gave him his big brother no nonsense look, and pouted. 

“I’ll get you a cold cloth for you neck,” Dean offered trying to keep the smirk from his face. He had already checked it to be sure the skin wasn’t broken, bleeding or swelling where Sam couldn’t breathe. He came back with the cold cloth and gave it to Sam to place around his neck. “What’s wrong Sammy? Is something still bothering you?” Dean asked when he saw a concerned look on his face and worry in his eyes.

He shrugged as he placed the cloth on his neck and sighed with the relief. He leaned his head back on the couch and closed his eyes. He tried to relax, and his mind wandered back to the house. Why didn’t he feel at ease? They had done the spell, and the malevolent spirit should be gone but Sam couldn’t shake the feeling he was missing something. He tried to go over everything in his head but was tired and he couldn’t think straight. He got still and relaxed and didn’t hear Dean and Missouri leave the room.

**spn**

Sam sat up and gasped for air as he looked around and called for his brother, “Dean!” he called in a hoarse voice as he got up from the couch and stumbled slightly.

“Hey, what’s the matter?” Dean asked seeing Sam was in a panic.

“We need to go back,” Sam demanded grabbing Dean’s arm. “They’re still in danger.”

“You sure Sammy?” Dean asked. “We did the spell…”

“Please Dean. We’ve got to check,” Sam begged.

“Okay, calm down. Let me get my keys and tell Missouri.”

Sam was already heading for the door while Dean found his car keys, called to Missouri they had to go out, and followed him. He wasn’t sure what was going on with Sam but would drive back by the house to appease him. They got in the car and headed back to their old house. It had gotten dark and there were lights on in the house when Dean pulled to a stop. They looked at the house trying to see if anything was wrong.

“I don’t see anything Sammy,” Dean stated once he got a good look at the place.

Sam sat forward in his seat and stared hard at the house. He knew he wasn’t wrong; there was still something not right. Before either could say anything else, Maddie appeared at the window upstairs and started hitting at the glass screaming for help.

“Dean! Look!” Sam cried out pointing toward the second level. He jumped out of the car and headed for the front door.

Dean bailed out of the car and followed his brother who was pounding on the door and yelling. He threw himself at the door trying to break it down. Dean added his force making the door pop open allowing them inside. Sam quickly looked around and saw Cameron on the floor in the living room.

“Get him out of here,” he yelled at Dean as he headed for the stairs. He found Maddie running down the hall screaming for her kids when Sam grabbed her and pushed her toward the stairs. “I’ll get the kids, get out of here!” Sam got Clint’s door open and grabbed him up and headed down to Elise’s room. He kicked the door open and saw her on the bed and a fiery figure standing nearby. “Elise, c’mon,” he said. She reached for him and he scooped her up in his arm as the fiery figure moved closer heating the air around them. Sam made it down the stairs and sat the kids down. “Elise take your brother outside and don’t look back.”

Elise grabbed Clint’s hand and ran for the front door and out onto the lawn. Once she was outside, the door suddenly slammed shut.

“Elise where’s Sam?” Dean asked looking around for his brother.

“He’s still inside,” she cried hugging her Mom.

Dean raced to the Impala when he saw the door was closed and opened the trunk to dig an ax out before heading for the front door. He threw his shoulder into the door, but it wouldn’t budge. With strong strokes, Dean began to chop at the door with the ax until he was able to get inside. 

Sam pushed the kids out the door and gave the room a quick look before turning to run out but suddenly he was propelled backwards by an invisible force. He tried to break free and was thrown over furniture, stunning him before Sam felt his body being jerked up and thrown into a wall. He tried to move but was being held there by the poltergeist. He heard Dean calling his name and tried to answer but couldn’t. Sam could feel the pressure being exerted on his body and cried out in pain. 

With one final chop, Dean broke into the house and frantically looked around for his brother. He heard his cry of pain and ran for the living room only to be thrown backwards and forwards before being tossed into the wall beside Sam. He struggled trying to break free as an invisible force smashed into him knocking the breath out of him.

The brothers stared in surprise when a fiery figure suddenly appeared and moved toward them. Sam began to recognize a person as the flames began to die down and a figure began to take shape. 

“Mom?” he forced out, shock and surprise on his face.

Mary moved toward her boys and went to Dean first. She cupped his cheek and smiled lovingly at him before moving down to Sam. She wiped the tears that were wetting his cheeks and whispered to him _, ‘I’m sorry,’_ before turning away and looking around as anger filled her eyes.

“Let my boys go!” she demanded expelling all her energy outward into the room as she threw her arms out and released her power. 

Suddenly, the brothers were free and fell from the wall, catching each other before they fell. They looked around but didn’t see their mother, nor did Sam feel the poltergeist. He looked to his brother through teary eyes and saw a single tear run down his cheek before he put an arm around him and pulled him out of the house. 

The family thanked them and said the cops were called, but Dean said they couldn’t hang around no one would believe what really happened. He told Cameron to blame it on faulty wiring and the place being old. He steered Sam to the Impala, and they headed back to Missouri’s, neither wanting to talk about what just happened. Sam knew their Mom had sacrificed herself to save them and hoped she was at peace in Heaven now. Dean knew what their Mom did saved them, but he wished he had had a little more time with her before she was gone once again. 

When they got to Missouri’s, she could see the anguish on their faces and got the gist of what happened from Dean. She got out a bottle of whiskey she had stashed away and poured them a drink knowing they both needed it. Once the adrenaline rush wore off, Missouri sent them to bed hoping they would get some sleep. She knew this drained them, even though neither would admit it. Missouri would see if either wanted to talk about what happened when morning came and hoped to maybe ease their minds. She knew it hit Dean harder because it was like losing his Mom all over again. 

* * *

* * *

**A/N: The house is cleansed and the brothers mull over seeing their Mom and her saving them. Thank you for taking this journey with me. I do like comments. NC**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Sam wasn’t sure what woke him as he sat up in bed and looked around. His heart was racing, and his breathing was short and fast. He looked over to the other bed and saw his brother asleep on his stomach. Being quiet, Sam slipped from his bed and grabbed some sweats before heading into the bathroom to relieve himself and then put them on. 

His feet were silent on the hardwood floors as Sam made his way down the stairs and to the kitchen. It was still early, so he was the only one up. He got a water from the fridge and unlocked the back door to step out onto the deck. He took a seat in one of the lounge chairs and opened his mind to his surroundings.

Sam stared absently out into the yard as the world passed him by. He was still reeling over seeing their Mom’s spirit and that she destroyed herself to save them. Her last words to him bothered him as he mulled them over in his mind. He knew from what the Demon had showed him that she had made a deal to bring John back and that was why the Demon had visited him ten years later and fed him his blood. He wanted to be angry with her but couldn’t be. She had lost her parents and the man she loved in one night and couldn’t bear it.

If only she hadn’t come into his bedroom, would she still be alive, and would their lives be totally different? Would the Demon have found another way to kill her? Was she destined to die by the hands of the Demon no matter what? The tranquil feel of the early morning had relaxed Sam and his eyes grew so heavy that he couldn’t hold them open. The sun was barely peeking over the trees as life came awake around him. He had not slept good last night so he was still tired and being still had him drifting off into a light doze, his head rolling to the side with his mouth slightly opened.

**spn**

The feeling hit him before he was fully awake. Dean rolled over and wiped the sleep from his eyes so he could look around trying to pinpoint what was wrong. It was like a slap in the face when saw his brother’s bed rumbled and empty. Dean struggled from the blanket that was wrapped around his legs and stumbled from the bed to the bathroom. It was empty, so he used it and went in search of his brother. He was sure Sam was okay, but still felt uneasy not knowing where he was. 

The first rays of a new day had chased away the night, but it was still early. He made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen to find it empty. He went back to the front of the house to see both cars were still parked out front, so that was a good thing. Dean hurried back into the kitchen knowing the only other place Sam could be would be outside. 

Dean opened the backdoor and saw his brother’s long frame stretched out in a lounge chair snoring. He let out the breath he was holding and backed back into the house deciding to let him sleep. 

“Are you going for an early morning stroll?” Missouri asked from behind him making Dean jump with surprise.

“Shit! I mean damn…Wait, crap…Awe hell…” Dean stuttered, giving up on getting the right thing out. 

“It’s alright honey, I didn’t mean to startle you. I’ll get some coffee started,” she told him. Missouri turned to hide her smile and chuckled at his discomfort. She added coffee to the basket and turned it on before turning to the fridge to take things out for breakfast. “How does waffles sound for breakfast with some bacon?”

“You’ve read my mind,” Dean said. After a moment, he asked, “Wait, did you read my mind?”

“Now Dean, I don’t have to read your mind to know what a young, strapping boy likes to eat,” she laughed. Missouri got out a baking pan and put racks on it for the bacon. She opened a pack of bacon and draped it over the racks before slipping it into the oven putting it on broil to cook it faster. “Your brother still napping on the deck?”

“How’d you know?” Dean asked looking toward the door.

“I felt him early this morning,” Missouri replied. “He seemed distracted and acted like he wanted to be alone, so I didn’t bother him.”

“It’s a wonder either of us got any sleep,” Dean mumbled. “I’m not surprised. Seeing our Mom’s spirit yesterday threw us both for a loop. She destroyed herself saving us.”

“That must have been very hard on both of you dear. But it just shows how much she loved her boys,” Missouri consoled him. She added milk to the dry mix and stirred the batter until it was smooth. 

Dean watched her move around the kitchen with ease as she checked the bacon and sniffed deeply taking in the aroma of the cooking meat. He sipped on his coffee and thought about what Missouri had said and knew she was right. Their Mom didn’t hesitate to take out the poltergeist to save them. What Mom wouldn’t sacrifice themselves for their children. He looked up and was pulled back to reality when Missouri spoke to him a little later.

“You should go get your brother, give him a few minutes to wake up so he can have a hot breakfast with us.”

“Alright, yeah, he probably needs to eat,” Dean nodded as he pushed away from the counter to head back outside. He paused beside his brother, seeing how innocent he looked laying there. He huffed out a soft sigh and shook Sam’s shoulder to roust him. “Hey bro, you stay out here any longer you’re going to be covered in dew.”

Sam shuddered as he pulled himself from sleep and looked around taking a few moments to realize he wasn’t in his bed before looking up at his brother’s face. 

“Missouri has breakfast almost ready. If you wanna eat it hot you need to wake up.”

“Right,” Sam said clearing his throat and swinging his legs to the deck. He sat there a moment to let the dizziness pass before accepting his brother’s outstretched hand for help up. 

They headed back inside to find Missouri was taking up the bacon and cooking waffles. Sam washed his hands and accepted a cup of coffee from Dean to doctor to his liking before moving to the table.

“I’ll have your waffles ready in a sec, go ahead and sit down,” Missouri told them sitting the plate of bacon on the table. 

Sam slapped Dean’s hand when he reached across to snag a piece of bacon and got a sour look from him as he stuffed it in his mouth, chewing loudly to annoy Sam.

“Now Dean, quit bothering your brother and mind your manners,” Missouri chastised him. She brought two plates over and sat one at each brother. “Eat up boys, there’s syrup, fruit or honey for topping. Don’t wait on me, I’ll have mine ready in a moment.”

Dean grabbed the syrup and poured it over his waffle and Sam spooned fruit over his. They began to eat, complementing Missouri on her cooking.

**spn**

“I think this will be the last thing we work on; I can tell you are getting tired child. You remember how to center you mind, now close your eyes and take slow, even breaths to cleanse your body,” Missouri instructed Sam. They were sitting around the table in her study later that day to continue working on Sam’s abilities. “That’s it, relax, nice and slow…” she continued. Missouri glanced at Dean to see he was doing the same thing and smiled. 

The soft, lyrical voice had Sam relaxing and following her instructions. He let his mind quiet and carefully pulled out of his body to stand by the table. Sam looked at his still body and over at Dean who was slumped in his seat. He looked down at his hands to see he could see through them and looked at his torso seeing the same. He saw Missouri looking up at him with a satisfied look on her face. 

“Very good Sam,” she praised him in a soft voice. “How do you feel?”

“A little funky, but okay,” Sam replied. “Do I move around like normal? Can I walk through walls?”

“No, it’s easier. All you have to do is concentrate on wherever you want to be or who you want to see. You will be pulled there and to come back just think of your body and you will be pulled into your body. You’re just a projection of yourself, so you can’t do anything physical when you are like this.”

“Just think of someone…” Sam mumbled as he pictured a face in his mind and suddenly, he was swept away from Missouri’s study and found himself standing in a gas station parking lot. He looked around and saw Bobby and his father coming out of the store. He saw Bobby look his way and falter for a moment and knew he needed to leave. Sam was suddenly pulled back in his body and drew in a sharp breath, startling Dean who was still zoned out.

“S’mmy?” Dean slurred almost falling from the chair but catching himself before he ended up in the floor.

“I’m okay,” Sam said. He shook himself and wiped a hand down his face letting his mind sync back with his body.

“I think that’s enough for today dear. You’re coming alone very well Sam,” Missouri praised him before blowing out the candle she had lit. 

“Did I miss anything?” Dean asked not sure what had just happened.

“No Dean, it’s fine,” Sam replied sliding his chair back to get up.

“You sure Sammy? Remember no secrets. I want to know.”

“You’re right Dean,” Sam agreed looking down at the floor. “I was able to astral project from my body and I saw Bobby and Dad.”

“No joke?” Dean asked his eyebrows going up with the comment.

“No joke.”

“Damn Sammy, guess that mean you’re moving right along here,” Dean offered. “Did it hurt?”

“No, nothing like a vision, it was painless, but I am a little tired.”

“Good to know. Why don’t we go relax a bit before we go out for dinner?”

“Dean’s right Sam, go rest for now. It will get better and will become like second nature to you before long,” Missouri said. “You are making good progress. Much faster than I ever expected. Once you are in tune with your abilities, you will be able to use them without even thinking about it.”

“Do you think there are other things that will come out?” Sam asked.

“I can’t say Sam. You have so much potential in you. Practice on what you know you can do and if there are additional powers, they might show, or this might be it. Don’t sell yourself short by any means. Just remember to be true to yourself, you are the one in control.”

“Thanks Missouri,” he nodded. Sam headed out of the study to find Dean waiting for him in the kitchen. He followed him outside and onto the deck where they sat in the lounge chairs and looked out across the yard. 

“What was that?” Dean asked when a humming noise caught his attention and he looked for the source. 

“There,” Sam pointed to the three hummingbird feeders hanging at the end of the covered part of the deck. “Hummingbirds.”

“Those little things are birds?”

“Yep, they are the only bird that can hover in one place like a helicopter. Wow, look at the colors on that one over there.”

“What’s the red liquid in the feeders?”

“A sweet water that’s like nectar. I don’t know if Missouri made it up or if she bought it, but once they find the feeders, they will continue to come back to it.”

“How come you know so much about them?”

“I read,” Sam shrugged his shoulders as he watched the little birds fight among themselves on who got what feeder.

“Your nerd is showing dude.”

“Don’t care,” Sam sighed settling back and closing his eyes. He opened his mind to all the sounds around him and listened. There was so much chatter that he had never noticed before, it was mind blowing. He drew in some slow breaths of fresh air when suddenly a stench assaulted his nose. “Dude! Did you just fart?” he coughed looking to his brother who was fending innocence.

“What gave you that idea?” Dean asked but couldn’t help a small cough and grimace at the smell.

“That’s just gross,” Sam complained as he got up and moved out into the yard. “You’ll drive the birds away with that stench.”

“It’s a body function bro. Gotta come out one way or the other,” Dean called to him and laughed when Sam went to sit in a chair under the shade tree far away from him. Dean sobered and looked to his brother as he slouched in the chair wondering just how much these powers would change him. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried, because he was. 

Dean planned on heading for Bobby’s place once Missouri was finished helping Sam and he didn’t think they would be here much longer. From the way she talked, he was getting a handle on his abilities and there wasn’t much more she could show him. The rest he would have to learn on his own with trial and error. Dean didn’t know how powerful Sam could become; he just hoped the wrong people didn’t find this out or they might be in trouble. He would do whatever he had to, to keep Sam safe, no matter who or what might come after him. 

* * *

**A/N: The brothers deal with seeing their Mom. Sam works on his powers and Dean is there for him. Thank you for taking this journey and I hope you are enjoying the read. Review would be great. NC**


	14. Chapter 14

Bobby stepped into the hospital and headed for the elevators to go up to the third floor where John’s room was located. He was supposed to be discharged today, if things were still looking good. He knew John and even if they weren’t, he was going to bluff his way out of here. The Winchester men had a bad habit of not following doctor’s orders when they wanted out of the hospital. He stepped off the elevator and walked down the hall to a corner room, knocking once before pushing the door open. The room was empty, but he heard movement in the bathroom and determined John was in there getting ready. Muffled cursing made him shake his head and knew no amount of coaxing was going to get him to stay another day.

“Good, you’re here,” John greeted him when he opened the bathroom door. 

“Has the doc be around?” Bobby asked. He noted the pale look on John’s face and the thin beads of sweat on his forehead. He moved stiffly and slowly as he made his way back to the bed and sat down. 

“Should be here shortly, I’m ready to get out of here.”

“You sure? Probably wouldn’t hurt ya to stay one more day.”

“Nothing doing, one way or the other I’m leaving here today. I’ve been laid up long enough. What other healing that needs to be done I can do elsewhere.”

“Suit yerself, but you better listen to what the doc tells you or you’ll find yerself right back in a hospital,” Bobby cautioned him.

“Good morning Mr. Winchester, I see you’re anxious to get out of here,” the doctor greeted him as he strolled into the room.

“I am,” John agreed sitting up and acting like there was nothing wrong.

“Well, this is going against my better judgement, but since you are so insistent on leaving, I’ll have the nurse start the discharge paperwork and get you going. I am going to give you a prescription for pain meds in case you need them, and you should check in with your family doctor when you get home. You need to take it easy for at least a couple of weeks to let your body heal. You might experience some mild headaches after your head injury, but if they get worse or you have other issues, please go to the emergency room immediately. Your lacerations are healing nicely, but you still need to be careful lifting anything or doing anything strenuous until they’re completely healed. Don’t need you ripping them open. Now, do you have any questions for me?” the doctor asked after his instructions.

“No, I think I’m good. Thank you, Doc,” John replied, shaking his hand.

“I’ll get the nurse to get your discharge paperwork and have you out of here shortly. Good luck to you Mr. Winchester,” he said.

After the doctor left the room, John sank back on the bed with a grimace and grunt of pain. He had done well hiding his discomfort and was anxious to leave.

“We need to go by a U-Haul place to pick up a car trailer so I can pull my car behind your truck,” Bobby told him.

“No problem. How long do you think it’ll take us to drive back?”

“Couple of days, I ain’t gonna push it, especially towing my car. We can stop for the night partway and make it on home the following day. You may need to stop to stretch and walk around so there’s no reason we can’t take our time.”

“Have you heard from Dean?” John asked, his voice low and deep.

Bobby looked over at him, studying the man. It didn’t get past him he only asked about one of his sons and not both. He knew they needed to have a serious talk about Dean and Sam. “Yes, he’s fine. I told him I’ll call when we get home.” Bobby wanted to chastise him for not asking about Sam but didn’t want to pick a fight in the hospital. He held his tongue, but he still steeped in the anger John brought out. They fell silent as they waited for the nurse to come with the discharge paperwork.

John looked at the clock again and moved to pace around the room, impatient that the nurse was not there yet. He wanted Bobby to go check on things, but he told him to relax, she would get here when things were ready. It wasn’t like he was the only patient here. They had other sick people to take care of too. John gave him a disgruntled huff and grabbed the remote to see what was on the television, hoping it would make the time pass quicker. They settled down to watch the news and weather to see how it was going to be driving home.

**spn**

It was nearly two hours later when a nurse came in pushing a wheelchair and carrying some paper. “Good morning, I see you’re ready to get out of here,” she said cheerfully. “I have your discharge papers, prescription for pain meds, and post discharge instructions Mr. Winchester. If you do have any questions, there are phone numbers you can call or contact your local physician. Is there anything I can answer for you before I get you ready to leave?”

“No, I’m good, thank you,” John told her.

“If you’ll sign these two forms for me and sir,” she spoke to John. “And if you want to go pull your vehicle around to the front, I’ll bring him down shortly,” the nurse told Bobby.

“I can do that. Thanks ma’am,” Bobby replied getting up to head out the door. 

“Thank you, sir. Now if you’ll have a seat, I’ll take you to the front doors,” she said moving the chair closer to the bed for John.

He stood and took a seat in the wheelchair and accepted the papers from the nurse. She pushed him from the room to the elevator and waited for it to arrive. They took it to the first floor, and she guided the wheelchair to the front doors seeing Bobby waiting for them. Bobby had the passenger door opened and stood back as the nurse parked the wheelchair by the truck so John could get in and settle in the seat. Bobby thanked her and headed around to the driver’s side and got in. They headed away from the hospital and to a U-Haul business he had found not too far from the hospital to get a car trailer and then were heading to the motel to pick up his car.

When Bobby passed a drug store, he stopped and went in to get John’s prescription for pain meds filled thinking he might need them for the trip home.

**spn**

John moved around trying to get comfortable as they made their way down the interstate. Bobby was taking it easy since they were towing his car behind them. He looked over at his passenger and saw the grimace of pain cross his face before he hid it and decided now was a good time to stop for a short break. He checked the road signs and found an exit with a choice of gas stations and food options that would suit their needs that was only five miles further down the highway.

“Why are we stopping?” John asked when Bobby exited the interstate.

“I think we’re due for a short break, stretch our legs and hit the head. Don’t know ‘bout you, but these old bones ain’t what they used to be. Sitting too long has them stiffening up,” Bobby replied trying to make it sound like he needed to stop, and he wasn’t just doing it for John.

Bobby eased the truck to the gas pumps first so he could fill it up and watched John get out and walk stiffly toward the station. After he had the gas pumped, he moved the truck to the side out of the way and went in to find the restrooms and grab a cup of coffee. He found John looking over the selection of food with a coffee in his hand.

When he came out of the restroom, John was waiting for him at the front, sipping his coffee and munching on a pastry. Bobby got a large coffee and headed for the door with John behind him. He stopped short as he looked toward the truck to see the shadow of someone standing by it. It was there and gone before he could get a good look but could have sworn it was Sam standing there. It was hard to miss his height and shaggy hair and wondered if he was seeing things. 

“Anything wrong Bobby?” John asked when he stopped short and almost ran into him.

“Nope, just thought I saw something,” Bobby replied not wanting to tell him what he thought he saw. He headed on to the truck and they got back out on the road again. Bobby decided to drive a few more hours before stopping somewhere for the night. They could have an early dinner and maybe he could talk some sense into his passenger. He knew Sam was having a hard enough time as it was, and he didn’t need to lose his Daddy too.

**spn**

The motel was small and nondescript as Bobby pulled the truck to a stop at the office and got out to get them a room. After Bobby was out of the truck, John groaned loudly trying to shift his tired body enough to get some relief. He found it was harder than he expected to travel, and glad Bobby chose to stop for the night. He would not have suggested it no matter how much he hurt. Bobby was back out with a key and moved the truck around back and parked away from the rooms so he wouldn’t block anyone with the car he was towing. They got their bags and headed across the lot to their room. 

“How ‘bout I go across the street and get us something to eat and you can relax in the room?” Bobby asked.

“Fine with me,” John shrugged. He didn’t much care. He wasn’t all that hungry but knew he needed to eat to get his strength back. “Maybe I’ll get a quick shower to help loosen up my muscles.”

“Probably wouldn’t hurt to take a couple of pain pills so you can sleep tonight.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” John replied.

“Anything special you want for dinner?”

“Don’t really care, maybe something light, not too hungry.”

“Alright, I’ll be back shortly.” After Bobby got outside and away from the room, he pulled his cell and called Dean.

_“Hey Bobby,”_ Dean greeted him. _“Everything okay?”_

“It’s fine, we’re halfway home but I stopped for the night to let yer Daddy rest. Traveling’s not the easiest thing for him right now.”

_“I bet,”_ Dean snickered. He knew how his Dad was and was glad he wasn’t the one dealing with him. Dean listened to Bobby’s silence on the other end and felt he wanted to say something. _“Something else on your mind Bobby?”_

“It’s nothing I guess…It’s just I thought I saw Sam at the gas station we stopped at is all. Must be my eyes playing tricks on me.”

_“You did see him? Damn, Sammy thought he got away before you did.”_

“Care to explain what you’re talking about?”

_“Sammy was practicing, what was it, damnit…It’s where you leave your body and can travel.”_

“You mean astral projection?”

_“Yeah, that’s it. He said he saw you and flashed back here real fast. He didn’t want you to see him.”_

“Sounds like the boy is learning things pretty fast. How is he doing? I mean really doing?”

_“I think okay. Missouri and him have had some talks and I think he’s coming to terms with all this crap and that he is a psychic. You know she said he already had natural abilities that might or might not have come out. What the demons did just enhanced them and opened him up to other powers.”_

“How **are you** dealing with it all?”

_“Like Sammy I’m learning to adjust and accept what I can’t change. If he’s going to have these powers, might as well learn to use them. Hell, he saved my ass when we went after a poltergeist a few days ago.”_

“It’s good to know you two can take care of each other. Okay, good to know you’re dealing with things. I’m at the diner so I better go. You take care of your brother, Dean.”

_“Don’t I always? If Dad leaves will you let me know. Sammy’s won’t come there if he’s still there. I don’t know how much longer we’ll be here at Missouri’s.”_

“I will son, tell Missouri I’ll send her a list of some herbs I need restocked on.”

_“I’ll do that. Bye Bobby, and Bobby, take care of Dad if he’ll let you.”_

“That may be a tall order Dean, but I’ll try. Goodbye.” Bobby stowed his cell and pushed open the door to the diner. He got a menu and looked at it trying to decide on what might be good. He was thinking of calling Missouri when he got home to get her take on Sam. If he was already doing astral projection, he must have some strong powers. Bobby knew Missouri would take care of him and guide him as best she could. He placed his order and sat on the bench at the front to wait for it.

John was coming out of the bathroom towel drying his hair when Bobby stepped back into the room. He tossed the towel and headed toward the table where Bobby sat the bags of food. The aroma of the meal had his mouth watering and his stomach grumbling about wanting to be fed. They sat at the table and ate with little conversation passing between them. When the meal was done and trash removed, Bobby decided it was time they had a talk about John’s sons, both of them, whether he liked it or not.

* * *

**A/N: John is on the mend and agreed to go to the salvage yard. Thanks for taking this journey with me. I do like comments. NC**


	15. Chapter 15

John could tell something was eating at Bobby and had a good idea what it was about. He shifted in his seat and winced as pain coursed through his body. The shower had helped take some of the stiffness out, but he was still sore, and the gunshot wound itched. 

“Why don’t you go ahead and say it Bobby, I know there’s something on your mind,” John finally broke the silence between them.

“Alright I will. Not once since you woke up in the hospital and saw Sam and learned what he did, have you asked anything about him. Are you that bull headed and stubborn that you can’t see what’s in front of you?”

John looked down at his clenched hand on the table as his face became hardened and he bottled up any emotions and locked them away. “We don’t know what happened to him in the time he was gone. The demons I questioned trying to find Azazel were talkative. They told me a powerful being challenged him and won. Azazel had been killed by one of his own. He was one of the Demon’s special children, his favorite and he was supposed to be the leader of a demon army. He was to take over Hell, the _‘Boy King’_ they called him…” John said in disgust. “When S…When he said **he** killed the Demon…Christ Bobby, what was I to think? How could my son be this _‘Boy King’_ the demons were talking about? I didn’t know what he had turned in to…” He turned away as he fought the wetness in his eyes and clenched his jaw tightly.

“What do you mean one of his own? Special children? You’re not making sense here John. What do you know that you’re not telling me?”

“Before the ghouls got me, I had questioned a couple of talkative demons who told me Azazel found children that were special or from a certain blood line and he…He fed them his blood when they were babies…That’s why Mary was killed. She walked in on the Demon in the nursery and he was…He was doing that to…” John couldn’t go on. Just the thoughts of what his youngest son had been subjected to, made his stomach roll and clench. It felt like the room was closing in on him. He fought back the bile that rose in his throat and stepped to the door needing to get some fresh air. He stumbled outside as his breaths came short and painful. He leaned against the post trying to force the images from his head of what had happened. The reason his wife was dead was because a demon decided his son was _special_ and wanted him. He swiped at the tears before they could fall as he gazed out across the parking lot and watched as darkness descended across the land.

Bobby sat back in his chair as he replayed what John had told him. Sam had been fed demon blood as a baby and Mary was killed because she tried to stop the demon. Plus, San wasn’t the only baby this was done to. There were other kids out there that had the same thing happen to them. He wondered if their mothers were killed too. What John said explained some of the questions about Sam. What he couldn’t understand was why John couldn’t see if Sam killed Azazel instead of joining him that he wasn’t bad. He had watched that kid grow up and there wasn’t a bad bone in his body. No matter what flowed through his veins, he was still a Winchester and that counted for everything. Bobby got up and went to the door to find John standing at the end of the walkway staring off into the darkness.

“Think we can talk some more?” Bobby asked him. “I’ve got a bottle stashed away in my car if you want a drink.”

“I’ll take the drink, not sure about talking,” John replied.

“Well, let’s do this, we can have a drink and I’ll do the talking and you can listen.”

John rolled his shoulders and grimaced slightly before pushing off from the post and turning toward Bobby. He followed him down to their room and went inside. Bobby made a detour to his car and rummaged around in the trunk for the bottle of whiskey he kept there. It might not be much, but at least it was a start. He hoped he could convince John that Sam wasn’t bad and he was still his son, but it may take more than one bottle and one talk. 

“Better limit your drinking since you’re on pain meds,” Bobby cautioned John as he poured a shot into his glass. John paused for a second and doubled the shot if it was going to be his only one. “I noticed you couldn’t even say his name, it’s Sam by the way,” Bobby said sarcastically. “You know if you’d get your head out of your ass you would see that boy ain’t bad. Hell, he’s the farthest thing from it. He killed the demon you’ve been looking for half yer life. Is that it?” Bobby questioned when he saw a darkness pass over John’s face. “Are you mad at him because he ended that evil sonovabitch and not you? Are you that petty? Why can’t you be happy that it’s been done? Sam went through hell, but he fought back, and he won. He may not be the same kid you told never to come back when all he wanted to do was go to college, but he still loves you and he proved it by saving your ornery life.”

John swirled the drink around in his glass before taking a sip as he listened to Bobby berate him. He knew he deserved it, but it still irked him. Was he that petty to push his son away because he had done what he had been trying to do for nearly twenty years? Between the alcohol and pain meds, John was starting to feel woozy and lightheaded. The more he thought about his youngest son, the worse his head wanted to pound. 

“If Sam can kill a demon like that, what else might he be capable of doing? What if…What if this power corrupts him and turns him bad and he starts hurting people or even killing them? Am I supposed to…” John asked not able to finish the sentence because he couldn’t say it out loud. He swiped a hand down his face trying to control the pent-up emotions raging inside of him.

“I don’t think you give Sam enough credit John. That boy is stronger than you think, and he has something that you’re forgetting about.”

“What?” John asked as his brow creased trying to figure out what Bobby was talking about.

“He’s got an older brother that would move a mountain to protect and help him. Dean is right there with him and standing beside him and you know when they are together, they’re almost unstoppable. Why don’t you stop jumping to conclusions before you know all the facts? You need to talk to Sam, hear him out instead of pushing him away. Because you know if you lose one son you’ve lost them both. Dean’s not going to let Sam go through whatever he’s going through alone. Why don’t you think about calling your son and finding out how Sam is doing? Or better yet, calling Sam and talking to him.”

John finished off the whiskey and sat the glass down. His eyes were getting glassy and he knew he couldn’t think straight right now. “I think I need to lie down,” he mumbled as he pushed himself from the chair and wobbled to the bed.

“We’ll head out early in the morning,” Bobby told him knowing the talk was over for now. He didn’t know if anything he said got through to him or if he would take his advice. He couldn’t force him to do it, but Bobby knew John would regret not calling if something happened to either of his boys. He got up and went to the bathroom before turning in himself. He planned on calling Missouri once he got home and get her take on Sam. 

**spn**

The salvage yard loomed ahead of them as Bobby eased the truck through the gates and steered it around to the front of the house. He stopped and spoke to John as he shook his arm, “We’re here, why don’t you go on inside while I get my car loose? I’m going to take this trailer back, so I won’t be charged for another day.”

“Alright,” John replied looking around for a moment and letting his mind wake up. He had slept the last hundred miles and was still half asleep. He got out and let Bobby unlock the door for him before heading inside. He made it as far as the couch before sitting down and deciding he could sleep some more. 

Bobby locked the door behind him and went to his car to unstrap the front tires so he could back it off the carrier. He parked his car out of the way and got back in the truck to head for town and the U Haul place. While he was in town, he planned on stopping and get a few supplies so he wouldn’t have to go back out for a few days. He dropped the car carrier off and picked up supplies and food for their dinner since he wasn’t in the mood to cook tonight. John had been quiet all the way home and barely spoke at all. Bobby hoped he would stay long enough to let himself heal before heading out and would take his advice and call the boys. 

**spn**

Deciding it would be easier to talk to Missouri alone, Bobby stopped the truck in front of the house and dug his cell from his pocket. He pulled up his contacts and found her number. He listened to it ring several times wondering if she had gone out or something.

_“Hello,”_ Missouri answered just before Bobby started to hang up.

“Hello Missouri, how are things going?” Bobby greeted her in a warm voice. He had known her for a long time and respected her for what she was and the help she had given hunters over the years.

_“I was wondering when you’d call Bobby Singer. It’s been a while.”_

“Can you talk? The boys aren’t where they can hear, are they?”

_“No, Sam wanted to go into town to the bookstore and you know Dean; he’s not letting him go alone. I don’t think that boy has hardly let his brother out of his sight since they got here.”_

“How is he doing?”

_“He’s doing better than most in his situation would be. Sam’s handling what happened to him and trying to do something good with it. That boy is strong Bobby, stronger than anyone I’ve seen, and I don’t know if we’ve even scratched the surface. He’s still coming to terms with all of this and the changes that have happened to him, but he’s accepting it and not fighting against it. I can’t say it’s not hard on him, but he’s determined to learn what he can.”_

“And Dean, how’s he taking all of this?”

_“He’s going to stand with his brother no matter what. They’ve got a bond that is still strong, and this hasn’t changed that. How’s John doing?”_

“Still as bull headed and stubborn as ever. I’ve tried to talk to him, but he’s scared Sam’s going to turn bad and will have to be killed. I’ve tried to convince him to talk to Sam, but I don’t know how much progress I made.”

_“I don’t know how much longer the boys will be here. I’ve helped Sam about all I can. The rest is up to him and what he chooses to do with it.”_

“Dean wants to come here, but he knows Sam won’t if their Daddy’s here.”

_“We’re going to have to let them work it out. All we can do is nudge them in the right direction. I think they’re going to find each other again, but the path might not be a straight or easy one.”_

“You’re probably right. Well, I better get our food inside so we can eat while its hot. I’ll talk to you later and I’ll send you a herbs list I need restock on. Give them to the boys. They’ll be heading this way eventually.”

_“I can do that and don’t worry so. Things are going to work out,”_ she tried to assure him. _“Bye Bobby.”_

Bobby got out of the car and grabbed the bags of food from the seat beside him. He headed into the house to see what John was doing.

* * *

**A/N: Bobby gets to the point and calls John out on how he is acting toward Sam. Thanks for taking this journey with me. I do like comments. NC**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: We find out more about John and what he’s up to and what is happening with the brothers. I do like comments, so please take a moment and leave one. It would lift my spirits. NC**

* * *

“Are you sure about this John?” Bobby asked as he watched John change the oil in his truck.

“Yes, there are things I need to be doing and I can’t just stop hunting. It’s in my blood now. Even with Yellow Eyes dead, there are still monsters out there that need to be stopped,” John replied as he slid from under the truck. He was careful about getting up, but his injuries were healing, and he had stayed here too long as it was.

“You think three days of healing is enough for you to go back out there on a hunt?”

“I thought I’d swing by the Roadhouse and talk to Ash. I may have a project for him.”

“Have you thought anymore on what we talked about. They’re both still your boys and they need their Daddy.”

“Give me a little more time, I’ll call Dean soon,” John said looking away. He didn’t want to flat out lie to Bobby, but he was still having a hard time accepting what had happened to his youngest. He had trained his boys to be warriors and to hunt the monsters that were out there, but had Sam become one of those monsters now? It was hard for him at accept that Sam was not the same boy that he had know those months ago when they had fought about him going to college. Maybe if he hadn’t been so stubborn and hardheaded none of this would have happened to him. He should have insisted Dean drive him to college and made sure he was safe. He was carrying a heavy burden of guilt and had to get away on his own to think things out. 

“Don’t take too long John,” Bobby cautioned him when he saw the guarded look on his face that said more than John was will to. 

“I’m almost done here, and I’ll get a quick shower and be on my way. Thanks for letting me stay here.”

“I’ve got to do a parts run to the next town over so I guess you’ll be gone by the time I get back. You take care out there, John. Don’t get yourself in over your head since you’re still not a hundred percent.”

“Take care of my boys Bobby. They may need you,” John told him before turning away and ending the conversation.

Bobby huffed as he turned to leave wondering if John would make it right his sons. He didn’t like to see a family split like this but knew he couldn’t make it happen. He would have to wait like Missouri said and hope fate would bring them back together again. With John leaving, Bobby decided to call Dean and let him know they were welcome to visit. To be honest, he wanted to see Sam for himself and talk to him. He trusted Missouri’s opinion, but it never hurt to see it firsthand. He got into his work truck and headed down the driveway lost in his thoughts.

**spn**

John finished up on his truck and moved it out of the garage bay and to the front of the house. He went inside and headed upstairs to shower and pack to leave. He paused at the bedroom across from the bathroom and looked in at the twin beds his sons used when they stayed here. His heart was weighted down with the anguish and uncertainty he felt. He huffed out a long sigh before going into the bathroom and closing the door. 

It didn’t take John long to pack up his few belongings, and head down the stairs and out the front door, locking it behind him. He wasn’t sure if he’d make it to the Roadhouse today or would need to stop along the way for the night. It being a weekday, he knew Ellen would be closing at midnight and wouldn’t want to wake anyone. He would see how he felt and wouldn’t push himself. John knew his limits and before searching out a hunt he wanted to be sure he was ready.

But while he waited, John was going to continue his search for the Colt. Rumors about it was that it was a special handgun made by Samuel Colt and it possessed the means to kill anything supernatural. He had planned on using it on the Yellowed Eyed Demon if he could find it, but now if he could find it, it would give him the upper hand on any monster he came across. He was going to have Ash follow up on a couple of leads he ran across just before his tangle with the ghouls that took him out of the game.

The motel John found was about three hours from the Roadhouse and would suit his needs. He opened the door of the single room and glanced around before entering and sitting his bag on the bed. He went to the bathroom and relieved himself and washed his hands before stepping back into the main room. He rummaged in his pockets to see if he had enough change to grab a soda from the vending machines he saw below his room. After looking in his bag and finding a few quarters. John went back out and walked down to the drink machine. He looked at his choices with little interest before dropping the money in and pushing one of the buttons. The bottled drink clunked down and he retrieved it, raising up slowly to head back to the room. 

It was still early, so John found the remote and turned on the television to find something to watch. He adjusted the pillows and settled back against the headboard to watch an old war movie and sipped on the soda. His mind wasn’t on the movie but on his sons, both of them, and what Bobby had tried to tell him. Was he blowing this out of proportion and not taking into consideration that Sam might be stronger than he thinks? Maybe the demons had been goading him with the information they had given him. He sighed and looked at his cell that was laying on the nightstand and reached for it wanting to call his eldest but stopped his hand from picking it up. He let his hand fall back to the covers and huffed madly at himself. What would he even say to him? Would Dean take his call or ignore it? John turned back to the movie and tried to pick up the plot to watch it. He would finish his drink and turn in, hoping he could sleep without the dreams coming back.

Ever since John had woke up in the hospital and learned what Sam had done, killing Azazel, he had been plagued with nightmares centering around Sam. He would wake up shaking and sweating and not remembering very much of the nightmares because of his head injury, but there was enough there that it scared him. He rubbed his temples and tired eyes for a moment and decided not to put it off and got up to do his bathroom routine before going to bed. There was so much rolling through his mind that he didn’t know if he could shut it down enough to sleep but needed to try because he could tell his body was still recovering from his injuries.

**spn**

His cell began to ring, and Bobby shuffled papers to find and answer it. “H’llo,” he spoke in his rough, harsh voice.

_“Hey, Bobby how are things going?”_ Dean asked happy to hear his voice. 

“I was going to call you and let you know yer Daddy left today heading for the Roadhouse,” Bobby said. 

“ _Why is he going there?”_

“He wants Ash to help him with some research but wouldn’t say what.”

_“Is he coming back there?”_

“I doubt it; at least it didn’t sound like it. You boys wanting to head my way?”

_“Yes, I think Missouri has done all she can for Sammy, and we need to get out of her hair. Let her have a little peace and quiet.”_

“You’re welcome to come here you know that. I’d like to see Sam.”

_“Okay, we’ll pack up and head your way. Leave the porch light on for us.”_

“I will and drive safe,” he said before hanging up. It would be good to see the boys and he could make his own observations about Sam.

“Just got off the phone with Bobby and he wants us to visit him,” Dean told Sam as he walked into the kitchen. “What say we leave after lunch and head his way?”

“What about Dad?” Sam asked cautiously.

“Not there. He left and headed for the Roadhouse. I get it Sammy, you don’t have to see Dad until you’re ready,” Dean told him in a softer tone. 

“Did I hear you say you boys are leaving?” Missouri asked as she stepped in from the laundry room.

“Yeah, we’ve stayed long enough,” Dean said. “You’ll probably be glad for some peace and quiet.”

“You boys are never a bother and if you ever need a place to stay if you’re in the area my home is open to you,” she replied. “Bobby wanted some herbs sent back with you. Sam want to help me get them ready while your brother packs?”

“Sure, I can do that,” Sam said. He got up to follow her out the backdoor and glanced back at Dean who was heading for the stairs to get them packed. He knew Missouri wanted to talk to him alone before they left.

“Alright, let me see, agrimony, betony, cubeb, devil’s bit, mullen, and oil of abramelin. I believe that is it,” she recited as she pulled the items from the shelves. “If you’ll put these in a bag for Bobby,” she instructed as she shook out the herbs into small zip lock bags and the oil into a vial. “Tell him I’ll send him a bill.”

“Why don’t you let me pay you and Bobby can just pay me back?” Sam suggested thinking it would be easier and Missouri could have her money quicker.

“Why thank you child, that will work,” she praised him. “I also want to give you something. This is a mixture of benzoin, sandalwood, vanilla and dittany of Crete. If you will burn some of this before trying astral projection, it will help you to be able to do it easier until you have mastered the ability.”

“Thanks,” Sam said looking at the plastic bag of mixed herbs. 

“And this a special tea I blended myself, there is nothing in it that can harm you, but it will help you to calm and center yourself and allow you to access your powers.”

“Do I drink it every day?” he questioned accepting the bag of ground up herbs.

“Maybe for a few weeks, just use a teaspoon in half a cup of hot water and let it steep for five minutes. This should last for several months and if you need more let me know and I can send some to you.”

“Thank you for this and helping me Missouri. I don’t know if I could have got this far without you,” Sam told her giving her a hug.

“If you need me child, you call,” Missouri stated sternly. “You are a remarkable young man that has seen more than most in their lifetimes. The roads ahead for you and your brother may be rough, but you will be able to handle it, especially with your brother at your side. You let him help you and don’t shut him out. You know all he wants to do is keep you safe and help.”

“I know; he’s what keeps me sane and on the right track.”

“You go on in and I’ll pick a few vegetables for you to take. I have more than I can use, and I bet Bobby would enjoy them.”

“I’m sure he would. I’ll take these on inside and see if Dean needs any help,” Sam nodded strolling toward the deck as Missouri watched him.

She had done all she could to help the boy, she just hoped it was enough. She had a feeling the road ahead for the siblings was going to be a hard one, but she had confidence if they worked together, they would survive whatever the Fates threw at them.


	17. Chapter 17

“Let’s see, you’ve got the herbs Bobby wanted and here’s a jar of my blackberry wine. I seem to remember he took a liking to it,” Missouri told the brothers as she handed over the items. “Oh, and I put some cookies in the bag for you boys to snack on too.”

“Thank you, Missouri, for everything,” Sam said giving her a long hug. He looked into her eyes and saw the warmth, love, and friendship they held.

“Okay, I think we’re ready, thanks for helping,” Dean replied, giving her a salute before dropping into the driver’s seat of the Impala. He waited as Sam got into his car before cranking his Baby and pulling away from the house.

The traffic was moving steadily for the time of day. Dean kept an eye of Sam as he followed behind him in his car. They had been lucky with the storm they passed through and ran out of it in only a few miles. The air was cooler after the rain and it felt good blowing from the vents. He glanced at the gas gauge and saw he could continue for a few more hours before stopping to fill up. By that time Dean figured they would be hungry, and they could kill two birds with one stone, gas and food. 

**spn**

“Hey bro, I’m gonna stop for gas and figure we can grab something to eat,” Dean said when Sam answered his cell.

“Okay,” Sam replied not able to stop the yawn that Dean heard over the cell.

“Are you okay to drive on to Bobby?”

“Yeah, I’ll walk around when we stop to eat. I’ll be alright. It’s not that much farther.”

Dean signaled and pulled into the right lane to exit off the main road that had gas stations and a twenty-four-hour truck stop. He had found over the years the truck stops were usually the best places to eat and it was reasonably priced. He waited for traffic before turning and pulling into the parking lot. The pumps were busy, but he found one open and stopped to fill up.

“I’m going in to use the restroom and I’ll get us a table,” Sam let him know before moving his car to a parking spot.

“Okay, order me a soda,” Dean called to him and got a wave as Sam walked away.

Dean looked around the parking lot for any signs of danger, ever the hunter he was brought up to be. He heard the pump click off and coaxed a little more into her before replacing the hose and capping the gas tank. Dean got in and moved the Impala away from the pumps to a parking space beside Sam’s car so he could go in and join him. He headed for the restrooms first and then walked over to the restaurant side of the store. He looked around and spotted Sam over in the corner near an exit and strolled that way.

“What looks good?” Dean asked as he sat down and took a sip of soda.

“The chef salad looks appealing or the grilled chicken…”

“Why do I even bother,” Dean mumbled rolling his eyes and picking up the menu to check it out.

“You asked,” Sam shrugged knowing how Dean felt about the way he ate.

“You gotta have more than rabbit food Sammy. Wouldn’t hurt you to add a few pounds on you.”

“I eat healthy,” Sam countered. “I don’t wanna be a step away from a heart attack.”

“Good afternoon gentleman, my name is Allie, are you ready to order?” a waitress asked holding a pad ready to take their order.

“I’ll have a bacon double cheeseburger with steak fries, and could you have the cook throw some grilled onions on the burger and a slice of pecan pie,” Dean rattled off.

“And for you sir?” she asked Sam.

“Could I have a grilled chicken sandwich, no mayo, with a side of mustard and steamed broccoli with butter, and a fruit plate,” Sam recited before handing her his menu.

“I’ll get this in and bring you some hot rolls,” she told them taking the menus and hurrying off.

“How much farther is it?” Sam asked once the waitress had left.

“Two hours, I guess. We should be there before it gets too late. Bobby’s going to leave the porch light on for us.”

“Do you think Bobby’s going to treat me differently?” Sam asked quietly looking down at his fisted hands and forced them to relax.

Dean looked up from unrolling his silverware and frowned slightly. “What makes you think he would do that?”

Sam looked away but didn’t answer since Allie had returned with a basket of rolls for them. He wasn’t sure what to say because he didn’t know. Bobby was like a second father to them and it would devastate him if he rejected him, but Dean had said he wanted them to come so maybe things would be okay. 

“I don’t know, just worried for nothing I guess,” he mumbled taking a roll and buttering it before cutting a bite to eat so he wouldn’t have to say anything else.

Dean saw he wasn’t going to get anything else from his brother and didn’t bother to ask another question. He speared a roll, split it open to slather butter inside before taking a large bite. He watched his brother cut off another small bite and eat it. He was going to watch him closely to be sure he ate and took care of himself because he knew his brother, and when he was in one of his funky moods that didn’t happen. They ate the rest of their meal pretty much in silence except for an occasional monosyllable exchange of words.

“Why don’t you go walk around for a bit before we head back out and I’ll pay?” Dean suggested once they were done eating.

“Alright, I’m going to the restroom first,” Sam agreed.

“You want me to get you a to go cup of something to drink?”

“No, I’m good, I’ll be outside.”

Dean watched him walk away, his shoulders slumped as he shuffled toward the restrooms in the back of the store. He signaled the waitress for the check and ordered a large coffee to go. He pulled out some bills to pay and waited for his change and coffee. He left a tip and headed for the door to find his brother. He stopped just outside the door and scanned the parking lot, finally spotting the tall frame of his brother across the way as he walked around the edge of the lot. Dean headed to the cars and waited for Sam to make his way toward him before getting in the Impala. It wasn’t long before Sam made it back and got in his car. Dean led the way and they set off to finish their journey.

**spn**

The lights of the salvage yard loomed ahead of Dean and he smiled happily as he slowed to turn into the driveway and through the gates. He glanced in his rearview mirror to see the headlights of Sam’s car turn in and follow him. Dean stopped the Impala at the front of the house and saw Bobby was true to his word and had left the light on for them. His back popped as he got out of the Impala and stretched while he waited on Sam to park. Dean went around to the trunk and retrieved his bags and waited at the steps for Sam to join him with his things and the bag of herbs and wine for Bobby.

Before either made it up the steps, Bobby had the door opened and light spilled out onto the porch. He smiled warmly at the boys and spoke, “You made good time, come on in out of the night.”

“Hey Bobby, good to see you,” Dean said as he stepped by him and into the house.

“Bobby,” Sam said in a small, unsure voice before following his brother.

“There’s coffee in the kitchen if you want a cup or beers in the fridge,” he offered closing the door behind him.

“Beer sounds good, Sammy?”

“Sure, I guess,” Sam replied sitting his bags at the stairs. “Missouri send your herb order and a jar of her blackberry wine. I paid for it.” He offered Bobby the bag with a nod.

“Thanks son, you didn’t have to do that. I’ll give ya the money tomorrow.”

“No rush,” he answered looking down at the floor as he fidgeted.

“Are you okay Sam?” Bobby asked feeling the tension coming off him.

“I’m fine,” Sam said automatically.

Bobby knew he was anything but fine and that was their go to answer when they couldn’t or wouldn’t talk. He watched Sam walk away wondering what was bothering him, and then it struck him. Sam wasn’t sure how Bobby felt about him. They hadn’t talked or seen each other since the hospital, and he had no way of knowing how Sam reacted to his thoughts then. If he was as strong a psychic as Missouri said, he was sure Sam might have sensed his feelings, especially those of his Daddy and that is way he fled. He guessed he needed to have a sit down with Sam and get this taken care of before the boy maybe took off again.

He found them sitting at the table and poured a cup of coffee before sitting down across from Sam. “I think we need to talk,” he started. “I can tell you’re nervous and uncomfortable around me Sam, so let’s get everything out in the open.”

“Do you want me to leave?” Dean asked wanting Sam to feel comfortable with talking.

“Only if Sam wants you to leave,” Bobby replied looking to Sam who shrugged it was okay. “Wanna tell me what’s going on in your head Sam?”

Sam was staring at his beer bottle and slid a fingernail under the label to start working it loose as he wet his lips and pinched his lower lip between his teeth. He was trying to get his thoughts in order and how to ask Bobby his questions. 

“Sammy’s concerned about how you feel about him now,” Dean butted in when Sam didn’t say anything. He got a bitch look from his brother that melted away when he realized Dean was only trying to help.

“Should I be feeling any different toward you Sam?” Bobby questioned looking at him and waiting for him to look up.

“You need to know what happened to me Bobby and you might change your mind,” Sam replied. He couldn’t hide the hint of trepidation in his voice. He sipped on his beer to delay the story.

“Sammy, want me to tell him?” Dean asked laying a hand on his arm.

“No, it’s my story to tell,” Sam told him but giving him a thankful smile for offering.

“Why don’t you do what you did to me?” Dean offered thinking it would be easier on Sam instead of him having to tell the story. “Don’t worry Bobby it doesn’t hurt.”

“I can show you in your mind,” Sam explained. “Or I will try to tell you.”

“Might as well do the easiest,” Bobby said. “Just show me, I have a feeling it will be quicker.”

“Alright,” Sam nodded. He slid closer to Bobby and placed a hand on his temple before closing his eyes and pulling up the beginning of his nightmare. He didn’t show Bobby what happened in the motel room with John but started at the bus station. 

The kitchen was silent as Sam showed Bobby the scenes of his ordeal under the demon’s hands only stopping after he killed Azazel. He sat back and sighed before raising his eyes to look at his adopted father. All he could see was the sadness and tears that brimmed his eyes but saw nothing like what he thought he would see. He didn’t see rejection, disgust, or loathing in them and couldn’t stop the tears that blurred his vision and ran down his cheeks. Sam didn’t stop Bobby from pulling him into his embrace and holding him tightly as Dean watched the exchange. He could hear soft sobs coming from Sam and knew it was relief. He nodded to Bobby when he looked his way and finished off his beer.

Bobby watched Sam as he touched him, and suddenly vivid images were pouring into his mind. He was seeing it like watching a movie and watched as it unfolded in front of him. His body stiffened and jerked slightly when he saw the demon possess Sam and watched in horror as he drank something like looked like blood. He saw how defeated Sam was and what the continuous torture was doing to him. His breathing quickened and he couldn’t help the gasp that came from him when the powers took over and Sam killed the demons and took out their leader. The images stopped and Bobby was at a loss for words. He didn’t know what to say to Sam that would be of benefit after what he had endured and the only thing he could do was pull him into his embrace and hold him tightly. He felt Sam’s hot tears fall on his neck and knew how much the boy needed to know nothing had changed in his feelings for him. He was still his adopted son and nothing that happened to him would change that.

Sam got his emotions under control and pulled away from Bobby to wipe his wet face. He gave him a thankful smile, knowing there was no need for words. Bobby’s actions spoke more than words ever could.

“Why don’t you boys finish your beers and head on upstairs to bed. It’s been a long day for both of you,” Bobby said once he cleared his throat and could speak.

“We’ll do that. C’mon Sammy let’s get settled in and call it an early night,” Dean told him patting him on the shoulder as he got up. 

They got their things from the living room and headed up the stairs to their bedroom. Bobby stayed at the table for a moment and got up to get the bottle of whiskey from the cabinet. He poured himself a stiff shot before sitting back down. What Sam had showed him was horrendous, appalling, and ghastly, but knew it had all happened to the boy. How he had been able to survive that was unbelievable. He downed the whiskey in several huge gulps before sitting back letting it all sink in.

“You okay Sammy?” Dean asked after they settled into their beds.

“Yeah, I think I am,” Sam replied. 

A huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders with Bobby’s acceptance of him and he could breathe easier now. 

* * *

**A/N: Now Sam knows how Bobby feels about him and that’s one burden lifted. Thank you for coming along for the ride. I do like to know your thoughts, please comment. NC**


	18. Chapter 18

The gravel parking lot was empty when John pulled into it and steered his car over to the side of the building where the private parking was sectioned off. He didn’t know how long it would take Ash to find anything if he could, but he figured he could help out behind the bar and give Ellen or Jo a break. He needed something to keep his mind occupied right now so he wouldn’t think of his sons. John knew he was going to have to make a decision on what he was going to do. He parked and rummaged around for the folder with all the information he could gather on the Colt before getting out and heading for the front door.

The place was quiet except for the jukebox playing some country song, and Jo mopping the floor. She looked up and frowned for a moment before recognizing him and speaking, “Go around that way so you don’t walk on my wet floor.”

“Yes ma’am,” John said. He walked around the wall until he got to the bar. “Where’s your Mom?”

“She’s taking inventory in back, head on back there if you like,” Jo told him as she flopped the mop back into the bucket and pressed the handle to squeeze the water out. 

“Thanks Jo,” he nodded moving toward the double doors to the private section of the bar. John found Ellen in the storage room counting the stock and cleared his throat to get her attention.

“Hello John, didn’t expect to see you again so soon. What brings you this way?”

“Is Ash around? I need to talk to him,” John replied.

“Sure, it’s time for him to be getting up anyway. Go on in back and knock on the door.”

“Thanks Ellen. Oh, I was wondering if I could stay here for a few days? I can help out behind the bar at night, maybe Jo would like a day off?”

“Don’t see why not. You won’t have to ask that girl twice. She’s always complaining about not getting to spend time with kids her age, but I know she don’t mind the work. The poor saps haven’t learned yet that they can’t beat her playing poker,” she chuckled. “Tell Ash I’ll have him some breakfast ready too.”

“I will, thanks Ellen,” he said grateful she agreed to let him stay.

Ellen watched John walk away and wondered what was weighting so heavily on his mind. She could see it in his eyes that looked tormented and strained. She finished up the inventory and headed for the kitchen to get Ash’s breakfast fixed.

**spn**

John walked down the hall and stopped at a door labeled _‘Dr. Badass’_. He couldn’t help the hint of a smile that crossed his lips thinking he was one weird guy, but a genius with a laptop. He knocked loudly and called to him, “Hey Ash, need to talk to you.”

Noises could be heard from behind the door before it was jerked open and Ash looked at John with bleary eyes. “What’s going on?”

“Damn kid, do you always answer your door naked?” John complained. “After you put on some clothes, I need you to do some research for me. Here’s what I have got so far, and I hope you can find out more for me.” He held out the folder for him and looked anywhere but at Ash’s naked body.

“Yeah, I can do that,” he yawned and scratched his stomach. “Let me get dressed.”

“Ellen said she’d have some breakfast for you ready.”

“Thanks man, I’ll be out in a minute.”

John turned to leave shaking his head in disbelief at how dumb the guy seemed by all appearances. He had not found anyone who could use a laptop like this kid. Ash had even taken several of them and build a laptop that looked like a Frankenstein version of one. He had not seen anything that he couldn’t hack or research he couldn’t find. 

“There’s fresh coffee if you want a cup,” Ellen offered as she stirred scrambled eggs at the stove. 

“That sounds good. Ash will be out when he puts some clothes on.”

“You got the uncensored view, did you?” Ellen laughed. “I swear he’s going to get into trouble one of these days doing that.”

“Hey Mom, I’m done cleaning up the bar, can I run into town?” Jo asked as she rolled the mop bucket in front of her and headed for the back.

“Fine with me. John says he’ll handle the bar tonight if you want to do something.”

“Great, I’ll see if anyone want to go to the movies. Thanks John.”

“My pleasure.”

Ash came strolling into the kitchen and dropped into a seat across from John. He smiled happily when Ellen sat a plate in front of him and a cup of coffee. “Thanks Ellen, you’re the greatest.”

“Any time sweetie,” she said patting his shoulder.

He started to eat and flipped open the folder from John so he could scan the pages. John watched with interest as he read over his notes and the research that he had done. 

“So, you think this is real?” Ash asked looking up from his reading.

“I do and I intend to find it.”

“I’ll see what I can do. It may take me a few days.”

“That’s okay, I’m going to hang around and help Ellen out behind the bar.”

“Cool, I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

Ellen looked over Ash’s shoulder at the paper and caught the words Samuel Colt and gun. She looked up at John with interest. “Bill always thought that it was a myth, but you think it’s real?”

“Yeah, at least I hope it is. If it can be found it could make a difference in hunts against those monsters that are near impossible to kill. And I think it will kill a demon,” John said.

“That’s gotta be one powerful handgun you’re talking about. You got something in mind that needs killing?”

“Not sure yet,” John answered being evasive and looking away.

“Well, if you wanna start working? You can bring out some beers and stock the bar for me.”

“My pleasure,” he said getting up and heading for the storage room. 

**spn**

The noise level in the bar was picking up as more people came in for a cold one or to shoot the breeze with friends. John was keeping busy getting orders ready and watching the crowd. He knew Ellen ran a tight ship and she didn’t condone fighting or harassing other customers. He could tell the hunters that came in usually by their appearance and their hardened look. Most of them he didn’t know since he quit associating with other hunters after Bill, Ellen’s husband, died on a hunt with him. He kept under the radar and was friends with only a hand full of hunters. 

“Let me have a beer,” a gruff male voice demanded.

John looked up into the face of a hunter, but one he didn’t know. He was African American, looked about his age and had an air of authority about him. This was the kind of hunters John avoided when he could. They were the ones who could get you killed on a hunt. He pulled a beer from the cooler, popped the top and sat it at the man’s elbow.

“That’ll be four dollars,” John stated.

“Keep the change,” the hunter said laying a five down on the bar. He took his beer and joined some others at a table not too far away from where John was working. 

“Ellen, who’s that man over there with the vest and cowboy hat on?” John asked when she came back behind the bar.

Ellen looked the way John nodded and frowned for a moment before it changed to one of dislike. “That’s Gordon Walker. He’s trouble, and someone you want to stay away from.”

“Hunter.”

“Yes, but he’s not like most ones. I heard tell he goes mostly after vampires. Something about one taking his sister, but I’m not sure. Those that have worked with him, usually won’t do it again. They say he’s dangerous and not someone you want to cross.”

“Good to know,” John surmised. He wiped the bar and moved closer so he could hear their conversation. He dismissed most of it since it was about hunts, they had been on and comparing notes. He caught his breath when he heard the words demon and a war. John moved from behind the bar with a tray to gather up the empties from the tables around the hunters so he could hear better.

“Caught me a demon a while back who really got talkative after a little persuasion, you know what I mean,” Gordon laughed as he recounted the story. “Say’s there’s a war coming and there’s going to be humans fight alongside demons.”

“Are you joshing me?” one of the other hunters questioned.

“No, and I know demons lie, but I think this one was telling me the truth. Seems some high-powered demon has infected kids somehow and gave them special powers. They’re going to help lead an army of demons against humans. The bitch didn’t know any names but gave me enough details that I’ve been trying to track them down.”

“What are you going to do when you find these kids?”

“Take them out of course. They are just like the monsters we hunt and kill, and if it helps stop the war, it’s all good.”

“No shit! You could kill a kid?”

“Yeah, better to remove the pawns to get to the king,” Gordon said. “We have to take all the advantages we can in this battle between us and the monsters.” 

John almost dropped his tray of empty bottles when he heard what Gordon was talking about. He moved back behind the bar as his mind whirled on what he should do. Should he call Dean and warn him? Would Walker be able to track Sam down? Maybe he should just take this bastard out and be done with him. He was pulled from his train of thought when someone asked for four beers. He looked up at one of the hunters Walker was sitting with and reached into the cooler to snag the beers. He took his money and turned away before the guy saw the look of anger and disgust on his face. Once the guy took the beers and left, John looked back over at the table as he sat down and handed out the beers. 

After the beers were drunk, Walker got up to leave, bidding them goodbye and saying he was heading for a hunt in New Mexico. He ambled toward the front door and didn’t notice John heading through the swinging doors to the back. He headed out the backdoor and around the building to watch Walker and see what kind of car he got in. John was happy to see him leave and to hear he was heading for New Mexico, that would put him half a country away from Sam at least. 

John checked the time and didn’t think it was too late to call Bobby. He would have him tell his boys about Walker and to be careful out there. With that decided, he headed back in to make the call and finish his shift. He found Ash at the kitchen table tapping away on his laptop and let him be knowing if he found anything, he would tell him. He grabbed his cell and dialed the older hunter’s number listening to it ring.

“ _This better be good_ ,” a gruff, irate voice growled at him.

“Hey Bobby, it’s John,” he greeted him.

_“Is something wrong?”_ Bobby asked.

“I’m at the Roadhouse and there was a hunter in by the name of Gordon Walker. Do you know him?”

_“I’ve heard of him but never met the guy. Most of what I heard wasn’t encouraging and not many wanted to work with him. But it seems he likes working alone anyway.”_

“Will you tell Dean he needs to be careful and to watch out for Sam. Walker is searching for special children and plans on killing them when he finds them.”

_“And how would he know anything about that?”_

“He caught and tortured a demon. I don’t think he knows Azazel is dead from the sound of it.”

_“Why don’t you tell them yourself? You know you need to talk to them sometime.”_

“I know Bobby, just please tell them.”

_“Alright, but you gotta deal with this before there’s no coming back and you’ve lost them for good.”_

“I will Bobby, just give me a little more time.”

_“I wouldn’t wait too long John,”_ Bobby said before hanging up.

John looked at his cell for a moment before putting it away and heading back out into the bar. He took his place behind the bar, but his mind was elsewhere as he thought about his sons.

“You okay John?” Ellen asked when he came back out.

“Yeah, just needed to make a call,” John told her.

“If you ever need to talk about anything, I’d be happy to listen,” she offered.

“I’m fine,” he said. He knew she meant well but this was something that he wouldn’t share with anyone for fear of the wrong people getting wind of it. John moved down the bar to wait on a customer, ending their conversation.

* * *

* * *

* * *

**A/N: At least John is smart enough to call Bobby to warm Dean about Walker. It would not be good if he got wind of Sam. I know John is being a dumbass, but he’ll come around soon. Thank you for coming along for the ride. Comments do make my day. NC**


	19. Chapter 19

The brothers had stayed at Bobby’s for nearly a week before Dean found a hunt and decided to take it now that Sam seemed in better head space. Sam had been taking the time to look through any books Bobby had on psychic powers and was adding to his own growing book about the topic. He had talked to Bobby and showed him some of the things he could do. He wanted Bobby to understand him and was grateful that he wasn’t treating him any different and had accepted him. This was one of Sam’s biggest fears that the people he cared about and loved would not accept him as he was now and would turn their backs on him. He still had unsettling feelings about their father, but Sam was pushing them aside to concentrate on what he thought was important, learning to control the abilities he had. 

Sam had let Dean read some of his book about when he was at the cabin and flexing his powers. He wanted Dean to be aware of things that he could do and hoped to use to their advantage. He was trying to be honest with him and told Dean if he had questions or something concerned him, they needed to talk it out. Dean had agreed that there shouldn’t be secrets between them. The only way for this to work was if they both were open and frank with each other. He confessed to Sam that it did freak him out a little, but he was seeing Sam, himself, hadn’t changed, he just got some kick ass abilities that would help in hunts.

The only thing that he really questioned was why Sam was keeping the beard. He teased him about it and thought he’d shave but was surprised that Sam kept it. Sam didn’t want to get rid of it. He thought it made him look more mature and wiser than his young years. Dean finally gave up and started growing one of his own but kept it short. He figured he might as well join the club, with Sam and Bobby having beards now.

**spn**

Dean and Sam had left Bobby’s place and drove half a day to a town a state over to check out a possible case. It ended up being a rouge vampire picking off pretty, young college students. They had tracked it down and while Sam held it in place, Dean took his head off. It was an easy kill with Sam’s new acquired powers that pleased the brothers.

After the hunt was done, they were going to head back to Bobby’s since it was nearing Thanksgiving. He wanted to give Sam a little normal in his life since it had been turned upside down. Dean wanted to let Sam have a family holiday, even if it was only them and Bobby. He was going to call their Dad and see if he wanted to join them, but honestly didn’t think he would come. Sam was all for it and decided he would fix a traditional Thanksgiving meal for them with a turkey and the trimmings.

“How’s the shoulder?” Sam asked Dean as they drove down the road toward Sioux Falls.

“Hurts a little, but I’ll survive,” Dean replied moving his left shoulder and wincing.

“Sorry I wasn’t fast enough to stop the vamp from throwing you.”

“You got nothing to be sorry ‘bout. I’ve had worse and what you did saved us both a lot of scrapes and bruising.”

“Are you going to call Dad about Thanksgiving?” Sam asked looking away as he said it so Dean wouldn’t see the unease in his eyes.

“Yeah, but I doubt he’ll come,” Dean said. He could feel the tension coming off Sam and if he did get in touch with their father, was going to lay into him. He couldn’t believe he would stay away this long and not contact them. Dean didn’t understand John’s actions and wanted to know his reasoning for not wanting to see Sammy. He was still his son and he should realize that.

“Don’t worry Sammy, if he does come, I’m going to have a little heart to heart with him. Things will be okay. You don’t have to worry about anything.”

Sam caught his lower lip between his teeth and worried it wanting to say more but didn’t think he could. He wanted to know one way or the other what their Dad thought and if he could handle having a son with powers. Knowing was better than stressing over not knowing. 

“You sure you wanna try and cook bro?” Dean asked changing the subject. “I could just head into town and buy takeout for us.”

“No!” Sam said adamantly. “I want it to be a **real** Thanksgiving meal. We deserve that after all the crappy ones over the years.”

“Okay Sammy, I get it. When we get back, we’ll head into town and get whatever you need. You better check Bobby even has the crap you’ll need to cook in.”

“I had planned on it. I remember seeing most of the things stacked away in one of the cabinets. I think it was too painful for him to use most of those things after his wife’s death, and you know how he cooks.”

“Yeah, can opener and whatever can he pulled from the cabinet,” Dean chuckled remembering meals with Bobby growing up.

“Thanks Dean.”

“Anytime bro.”

**spn**

Dean’s job was to push the cart around the store and follow Sam as he consulted a list and picked items up to go in it. Sam had always been a little OCD about things growing up and it was showing now. He crossed off the acquired items and went on to the next. Sam had done his research and printed out recipes, helpful hints, and directions to make a traditional Thanksgiving meal. 

Dean had not interfered in his work, thinking it was taking his mind off other things. When he saw something he wanted, Dean would add it to the cart when Sam wasn’t looking. He swore Sam was getting enough food to feed a small army and wondered who he was cooking for. He thought he’d give Caleb a call to see if he was near and invite him to the meal. They had been on hunts with him in the past and became good friends over the years.

“Okay, I think I’m done,” Sam announced as he marked the last item from his list and looked down at the cart.

“Thank you, god,” Dean mumbled under his breath as he made a bee line for the checkouts. He was so over the crowds of people doing the same thing as they were and wanted to get home to the peace and quiet of the salvage yard. People were crazy this time of year and he had to stop short so not to plow down some woman who wasn’t watching where she was going. “Get me out of this place…”

They made their way to the front and got in line to check out. All the lines were long, and everyone had a buggy full. Dean fidgeted as they stood there waiting their turn. He was glad to finally get out of the store and to the Impala. They loaded the trunk and headed back to Bobby’s with a quick stop at a sub shop for lunch.

“Is Bobby’s fridge going to hold all this stuff?” Dean questioned as they began to unload the trunk.

“Yeah, I cleaned it out while you were taking a nap yesterday,” Sam replied looping bag handles onto his hands to take inside.

“So that was why Bobby was fussing so this morning when I came down. Something ‘bout not being able to find anything.”

“Part of the things in there were expired and others were science projects. I got him replacement items,” Sam shrugged not thinking it was a big deal.

“I’ll let Bobby know we brought food for a late lunch while you put away all this crap.”

“And what about your crap?” Sam asked holding up a bag of peanut M&Ms and a car magazine.

“Those are essentials,” Dean stated grabbing them from his hands and heading into the other room. He dropped them on the end table before continuing outside and toward the garage. “Hey, you at a stopping place? We brought some lunch.”

“Gimme five more minutes,” Bobby answered from under a car. “How’s yer brother doing?”

“He seems pretty good. He’s all fired up about having a real Thanksgiving. Bobby, I was thinking of calling Dad and asking him to come. You think that’s a good idea?”

“Don’t see why not son. He’ll either come or not, but you have taken the first step here. John is a hardheaded dumbass for waiting this long to talk to you boys. I tried to talk some sense into him when he was here, but don’t know if it did any good or not. I think he knows if he loses Sam, he’s going to lose you too, so maybe he’ll get the picture and come around.”

“Okay then, I’ll do it,” Dean nodded stepping outside into the cold afternoon air. He pulled his cell from his jacket and pulled up his contact list to find the number. Dean hit dial and listened to it ring before going to voicemail. “Hey Dad…So, we’re having Thanksgiving at Bobby’s if you’re near and want to come. We’ll be eating around noon or so. You should come…Bye Dad.” Dean ended the call and looked down at his cell as he let out a long breath. He had tried, but he didn’t know if it did any good. Bobby was right, he reached out; now it was up to their father. He hoped Sam didn’t get his hopes up about their Dad showing up because he knew it would put him in a funky mood when he didn’t show.

“You ready Dean?” Bobby asked when he saw he had stopped talking. He wasn’t going to ask about John because he knew Dean would talk if he wanted to.

“Yeah, let’s go eat. I’m going to check the Impala over this afternoon. Maybe change the oil and rotate the tires.”

“The end bay is free, do whatever you like.”

“Thanks Bobby.”

They went in the front door and separated, Bobby going to his bathroom to clean up and Dean heading to the kitchen to see what Sam was doing. He found him still putting away things and mumbling to himself about cooking times and what should be done first tomorrow. He was in his own little world, so Dean started setting out the food for lunch and getting drinks from the fridge that was now fully stocked. He wasn’t sure how Sam had done it, but it looked like everything was squeezed into it.

“Sammy, you need to eat,” Dean called to him, not getting a response. “Earth to Sammy, yo dude,” he said a little louder while tossing a plastic fork at him.

Sam startled slightly and frowned for a moment as he pulled himself back to the present and looked at the fork laying at his feet. He bent down to retrieve it before giving Dean a bitch face for throwing it. 

“You need to eat,” Dean stated firmly. Sometimes it was like dealing with a four-year-old Sam when he had tuned everything else out around him and was in his own little world. 

“Smells good,” Bobby commented, ignoring the staring contest between the brothers. He had gotten use to their quirks over the years and let them do their thing. “C’mon on Sam, let’s eat.”

**spn**

Something rousted Dean from his sleep and he wiped his face before looking over at the bed across from him to see rumpled covers but no little brother. He listened but didn’t hear anything in the bathroom and figured he was already downstairs working on their Thanksgiving meal. Deciding he might as well get up to see if he could help, Dean threw back the covers and pushed himself out of bed. He strolled to the bathroom to relieve himself and splash cold water on his face to get him going.

Dean heard music coming from the kitchen as he stepped into the doorway and faltered in his steps. Sam was standing at the counter with an apron on and his hair pulled back from his face and up in a ponytail. He had a whole turkey sitting in front of him. But what was really disturbing was Sam had one hand up the butt end of the bird and the other hand was doing something at the other end where the head should have been. Dean gagged when Sam pulled a small plastic bag out of the neck end and something, he didn’t even want to know about out of the butt end of it. He dropped them into a bowl sitting nearby and used an elbow to move the papers that were lying nearby around trying to read them. Sam pulled the legs apart and looked into the empty body of the bird like he was inspecting it for some reason. He looked back at the pages as his brow wrinkled with puzzlement for a moment, and then back to the turkey.

“Man dude, that’s just gross and disgusting,” Dean surmised trying to decide what was more comical, Sam dressed like Betty Crocker or his hand up the turkey’s butt. “Ummm…Sammy, you sure you know what you’re doing?” Dean asked cautiously.

“I have directions,” Sam replied holding his hand out in front of him like a surgeon that was ready to perform surgery. “I can follow directions. I think I can…Yeah, I think it’s explained simple enough….I hope….”

“Where’s Bobby?” Dean asked skirting around Sam and the bird to the coffee pot.

“Garage. He didn’t want to get in the way.”

“I’m gonna take him a cup of coffee.” Dean said. He was going to see if Bobby knew anyone that might could come help Sam at least get the turkey going. He didn’t get an answer since Sam was already engrossed in the directions again. Dean carried the two cups outside and headed for the garage. He stepped inside and found Bobby leaning over an engine putting on a water pump. “Brought you a cup of coffee.”

“Thanks Dean. How’s yer brother doing?”

“I think he bit off more than he could chew and is drowning in there. You know of anyone that might could come over and give him some pointers? I would like the turkey to be ready and eatable for lunch.”

“I might know someone,” Bobby said as he wiped his hands. He pulled his cell out and pulled up his contacts and chose one. He listened to it ring several times before it was answered.

_“Deputy Mills,”_ a female voice greeted him.

“Jody, Bobby Singer,” he replied.

_“Bobby, how are you? Is something wrong?”_

“No, I need a little favor if you have the time.”

_“What type of favor?”_

“My adopted son is trying to make a Thanksgiving meal and he’s a little out of his league with getting the turkey ready. Think you could maybe swing by and lend a hand? And you’re welcome to come back for lunch with us.”

_“Has he ever cooked a whole turkey before?”_ she asked.

“He’s not cooked much of anything before.”

_“I’ll be over in twenty minutes. Just have him cover the turkey with a damp cloth until I get there.”_

“Thanks Jody.” Bobby said before hanging up. “Go tell your brother help is on the way and to cover the bird with a damp cloth.”

“I can do that,” Dean said pushing from the fender of the car and heading back inside. He strolled back into the kitchen to find Sam still trying to follow the directions he printed out. “Sammy you can relax, helps on the way, Jody said to cover it with a damp cloth. She’ll show you how it’s done.”

Sam looked up relief plastered across his face. “I didn’t think it’d be this hard. Everything else seems fairly straight forward.”

“It’s all good bro, you’re doing your best. Anything I can help with?”

“Green beans need washed and snapped, celery and onion need chopped for the dressing, I have the sweet potatoes on cooking for the casserole and the apples need peeled for the pies.”

“O-Kay, I can chop with the best of them,” Dean said. He went to the sink and washed his hands before moving to a cutting board that Sam had by the sink. He took a knife and sliced off the ends of the onion to peel the outer skin off before putting it on board and slicing it in half to start chopping. “How much do you need?”

“One will be fine and maybe not quit as much celery,” Sam told him. He checked the sweet potatoes to see if they were done and moved them from the burner. Sam dumped the green beans into a colander and washed them before stringing and snapping them. “Why couldn’t doing the turkey be this easy?”

Sam had the green beans on cooking and was working on peeling the apples when a knock sounded at the door and they heard a voice calling out.

“Hello, it’s me,” Jody called.

“Hey Jody, we’re in the kitchen,” Dean replied happy she could come by.

“So, you boys need a little help with a turkey?”

“Yeah, I’ve got the oven preheated and was trying to go by the directions I found online, but do I stuff it first or just put celery and onion inside it? And what’s the giblets? I have no idea what to do with those things,” he rushed and pointed to the bowl with what he pulled from the inside the bird.

“It’s better not to stuff the bird. Let me wash my hands,” she said. Jody sat a small box on the counter and stepped to the sink. “Okay, do you have a pan to cook it in? You can throw those things away and don’t worry about giblets.”

“Yes,” Sam said. He moved the baking pan over by the turkey. Sam watched intently as Jody quickly got the turkey ready for the oven.

“I found the secret to a juicy bird is cooking bags. They let you cook it faster and less clean up in the end.” Jody opened the box she brought and pulled out a plastic cooking bag and tie. “I’ll need a tablespoon of flour to coat the bag and Dean how about cutting an onion into quarters and chopping the celery small enough to fit inside the bird?”

“On it,” he said pulling more celery from the bag and washing it. He did as she requested sitting them aside for her.

Sam opened a cabinet and pulled down a container of flour. He watched as Jody spooned the flour into the bag and closed it before shaking it to distribute the flour. She folded back the open end and placed it in the baking pan. Jody checked the turkey before stuffing it with the celery and onion. She sprinkled salt inside and transferred it to the cooking bag, carefully slipping it inside. She took the tie and sealed it and cut three small holes in the top. 

“There you go, it’s ready to go in the oven. With this size turkey it’ll probably take about three hours to cook. You see that white thing on the breast?” she asked pointing to it. “That will pop up when it is done. You can take it out and let it sit for twenty minutes before carving it. Be sure to wipe down the counter really good where the turkey was sitting. Don’t need to be spreading any germs around.”

“Thanks Jody you’re a lifesaver,” Sam sighed as he slid the turkey in the oven to cook. He took spray and a wet dishcloth to clean the counter and a dry one to wipe it dry. 

“You’ll come back for lunch won’t you Jody?” Dean asked.

“Why not, I was going to the diner, but it’ll be nice to have lunch with friends. I’ll bring some corn and a dessert.”

“Okay, but you don’t have to bring anything. Sammy’s doing enough food to feed a small army.”

“I wanted leftovers,” Sam defended himself a pouty look on his face. “Jody, think you can make some gravy when you come back?”

“I can and I’m sure you’ll have plenty. Save the drippings in the bag for me. I better run, need to go by the office and get home to fix the food. Sam if you have any other problems call me and I’ll walk you through it.”

“Okay Jody, but I think I’ve got the other stuff covered.”

“See ya Jody,” Dean waved. “You want those sweet potatoes peeled before I take the trash out?”

“Yeah, but be careful they’re hot,” Sam said. “Put them in that bowl there and I’ll mix the casserole up and have it ready to go in the oven when the turkey comes out.”

“Do you have it under control now?” Dean asked seeing Sam seemed more relaxed now and was enjoying himself.

“I do, thanks Dean.”

“Don’t thank me, thank Bobby, he’s the one who called Jody. I’m heading back out to the garage. My Baby needs a little more TLC while we’re here.” Dean left Sam to his cooking, now that he knew he could handle everything else, and went out to join Bobby in the garage. 

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked this light chapter and Sam trying to make a Thanksgiving meal. Deputy Mills to the rescue. We’re getting near the end of this story, five more chapters. I do like comments. NC**


	20. Chapter 20

Dean and Bobby stepped into the house and took a deep breath taking in all the enticing aromas drifting from the kitchen. Bobby veered off to go take a shower and Dean headed upstairs to do the same. He had come in once to check on Sam and found him making the apple pies. He at least was smart enough to get the premade crust instead of trying to make it from scratch. Everything was going smoothly, and Dean left Sam to finish cooking. 

“Man Sammy, you’ve got my mouth watering,” Dean praised him when he joined him thirty minutes later in the kitchen. “Did the bird get done?”

“Yes, the white thing popped like Jody said it would and I took it out. I’m cooking the pies, casserole and stuffing and have the rolls buttered and ready to go in.”

“Sam, son, I think you’ve outdone yourself,” Bobby told him when he joined the brothers in the kitchen. He looked around at the table already set, the turkey sitting by the oven, pots on the stove top, and rolls ready to be heated. “I don’t think this kitchen has seen this much activity in years.”

“I hope it’s good.”

“Well if the smell means anything, I think you nailed it,” Dean said.

“Jody is on her way. Got a text from her when I was getting dressed.”

“How ‘bout Caleb, Dean? Is he going to make it?”

“He was going to try, but to start without him.”

“Do you want to carve the turkey Dean?” Sam asked holding out a knife, large fork, and platter.

“Why not? How hard can it be?” Dean took the offered items and moved to the turkey. He sat the platter down and used the knife to slit the bag open across the top. He used two large forks to lift the turkey from the bag and sit it on the cutting board.

“Jody wanted the drippings saved for gravy.”

“You can take the pan now Sammy and do whatever you need to do.”

Dean studied the bird for a moment trying to decide the best way to carve it. He had seen it done on television but had never done it himself.

“Here, this shows you,” Sam offered laying down a cookbook that showed how to carve a turkey.

Dean glanced at the cookbook for a moment before grasping a leg and cutting it off. He did the same on the other side and moved down to the thigh and removed the meat from the bone. He took the wings off and proceeded to cut slices from the breast until the platter was full. “I don’t think we need the other half of the breast carved yet Sammy.”

“Okay, cover it with foil to keep it moist.”

Sam pulled the sweet potato casserole and stuffing out and slid the rolls in the oven. He opened a can of cranberry sauce and placed it in a bowl to take to the table. He began to take the bowls of food to the table when knocking sounded at the door. Bobby headed that way to see who it was. He opened the door to allow Jody to come in and looked toward the driveway when Caleb pulled up. He waited for him to get out of the car and head inside before closing the door back and following them.

“Hey Bobby, nice to see you again,” Caleb greeted him. “Thanks for thinking of me.”

“Good to see you too Caleb. Everyone’s in the kitchen we’re just getting ready to sit down and eat.”

“Damn, something sure smells good!” Caleb exclaimed. “Oh sorry, ma’am didn’t mean to cuss.”

“It’s fine, I’m Jody, you can drop the ma’am. Makes me feel old.”

“Caleb, nice to meet you.”

“Hey Jody, I saved the drippings and set the flour out so you can make the gravy,” Sam told her when she joined them in the kitchen.

“Alright, won’t take but a few minutes to get it made up,” she replied turning on the burner under a frying pan. She added some oil and got the milk from the fridge.

By the time Jody had the gravy ready, Sam was putting the other food on the table. She poured it into a bowl and set it on the table near the turkey and dressing.

“Go ahead and grab a seat,” Sam told them. “We have tea, beer, coffee, milk, water, or soda, to drink.”

“Tea for me, I’m still on duty,” Jody replied.

“A nice cold one would be great,” Caleb answered.

“Beer’s good Sammy,” Dean told him.

“I’ll have tea and coffee with my pie,” Bobby said.

“I’ll help, you get the rest of the food on the table,” Dean offered pulling out a couple of beers and getting ice from the freezer. He filled two glasses with ice and poured tea over it before carrying them to the table. “Sammy, beer or tea?”

“Tea is fine.”

Sam pulled the rolls from the oven and sat the pies on cooling racks. He filled a basket with rolls and snagged the butter from the fridge before taking them to the table. Everyone sat down and waited for Sam to take his seat.

“Sam, everything looks good. I just wanna say that I’m happy we could get together today with family and friends,” Bobby said raising his glass. “To family.”

“Here, here,” Dean agreed clinking his beer bottle with the others. “I’m starved, Sammy wouldn’t let me sample anything while he was cooking, so let’s dig in.”

“Pass to the left Dean, that way everything gets around to everyone,” Sam told him. He spooned green beans onto his plate and offered them to Caleb. 

Plates were filled and the conversation was light as everyone began to eat, praising Sam on how good it was. Sam couldn’t help but blush shyly from the attention but couldn’t stop his eyes from looking to the empty seat beside Bobby. Sadness filled his heart as he wondered where their father was and if he was celebrating this day. 

Dean felt it before looking at Sam and saw where he was staring. He butted his shoulder with his and whispered, “Don’t worry about him, just be happy for what you have accomplished.”

Sam hung his head slightly and gave Dean a small nod before turning back to the food on his plate. He forked a piece of turkey and put it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. Dean was right, he couldn’t let their father bring him down, he had family and friends around him and a great big brother who would lookout for him. 

“Oh Sammy…” Dean moaned as he took his first bite of apple pie. “Now this is something you’ve got to make more often.”

“Dean’s right, this is a delicious apple pie,” Bobby agreed.

“For the first time making a pie, you did do good Sam,” Jody praised.

“What they said,” Caleb mumbled with a mouth of pie.

Sam smiled and accepted the praise gracefully as he ate a small piece. They were right, it was good and using several different kinds of apples did made it better. 

**spn**

“Why don’t you guys go on into the living room while I clean up?” Dean suggested. “Since Sammy cooked, I’ll do the dishes.”

“I’ll give you a hand,” Caleb offered sitting back as he patted his stomach. “Sam I gotta say that was one awesome meal.”

“You did good boy,” Bobby agreed.

“I can help clean…” Sam started.

“Go on Sammy, relax, we’ve got this,” Dean insisted giving him a little push that way. “Why don’t you go see if there’s a game on?”

“Pack some food for Jody to take with her,” Sam told Dean before following the others into the living room. 

“No problem bro, we can do that.”

“I’ll start the water for the dishes,” Caleb commented sitting the dirty dishes by the sink. He rolled up his sleeves and put in the plug before turning on the hot water and squirting dish detergent into the sink.

“I’ll start putting everything up and make a to go bag for Jody,” Dean said. He sat the bowls on the counter and looked in the cabinet for plastic bowls. “Why don’t you spend the night if you’ve not got anywhere to be?”

“You sure? I don’t want to put anyone out.”

“Naw, Bobby won’t mind, and we’ve got plenty of food here for tomorrow.”

“I’d like that. So, what have you guys been doing? Any interesting hunts lately?”

“Simple vamp case last week, but nothing interesting. Sammy and me took a little break for a while before that. How ‘bout you?”

“About the same, vamps, ghouls, vengeful spirits; nothing new worth talking about,” Caleb replied as he began to wash the dishes. “Did hear something weird though, some hunter I’m not that familiar with was talking some crap about a powerful demon going to use humans to start a war against humanity. Wanted all the hunters to be aware of the danger and to let him know if they ran across any humans that might have these powers. He was going ‘ _to take_ _care_ ’ of them. It all sounded really out there so I didn’t really pay that much attention.”

“Did you get the hunter’s name?” Dean asked as he tensed up with the remark.

“Let me think…I think his last name was Walker, don’t remember the first name.”

“Did anyone else seemed interested in what he was saying?”

“Maybe one or two, but most didn’t. You know him?”

“Nope, only by what I’ve heard from others.” Dean finished putting the leftovers up and thought about what Caleb said. Bobby had relayed John’s message to him but he didn’t tell Sam so he wouldn’t worry. He hadn’t met Walker, but he already had a low opinion of him and definitely wanted to keep Sam away from him. “Do me a favor, if you hear anything else about the guy, let me know.”

“Sure, no problem, anything I should know?”

“Only he’s dangerous and I wouldn’t hunt with him. It’d be a good idea to steer clear of him.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice. I’ll keep you posted,” Caleb nodded. He trusted Dean and knew there was something else he wasn’t telling him but didn’t pursue it. He knew Dean had his reasons and would help him if he could.

“Guys, it’s been great, but duty calls,” Jody told them when she stepped back into the kitchen.

“Here’s a to go bag and your bowls,” Dean told her sitting a bag on the counter. “Good to see you again and thanks again for helping Sammy out.”

“My pleasure Dean, you guys take care and stay safe out there.”

“Always,” Dean said.

“Nice to meet you Jody,” Caleb said giving her a wave. 

Dean and Caleb finished cleaning the kitchen and joined Bobby and Sam in the living room. The television was on a football game and they were both dozing, Bobby in his recliner and Sam on the couch. Dean gently moved Sam to where he looked comfortable and his neck wasn’t at a weird angle before sitting down beside him. Caleb grabbed a pillow and blanket off the couch and settled in the floor thinking a nap sounded good right now. It wasn’t long before they were asleep too and none saw the game. 

**spn**

Bobby was the first to wake with a snort and looked around to the others sacked out asleep. All three were snoring softly, almost in sync. He looked toward the screen and saw the game was over and something else was on.

“Time to wake up or you won’t sleep tonight,” Bobby said. He shook Dean and Sam’s leg and kicked gently at Caleb’s leg. “Anyone want something to eat?”

“Man, I’m still stuffed,” Sam said, stretching and yawning widely. He looked around and saw it was getting dark outside and wondered how long he had slept.

“I could go for another slice of apple pie,” Dean grunted as he shook himself awake.

“Can’t believe I slept that long,” Caleb moaned from the floor. “Aren’t there some rolls left? I think I’ll make me a turkey sandwich.”

“Dude! Where are you putting all that food?” Dean asked.

“Hey, I don’t get many homecooked meals so I’m making the most of it,” Caleb relied. He got up from the floor and headed for the kitchen. 

“Why don’t I set the food out and everyone can help themselves,” Sam suggested as he followed Caleb.

“Paper plates Caleb, that way we won’t need to wash dishes again.”

“Sound good to me, where are they?” he asked looking around.

“I’ll get them,” Sam said. He looked in the cabinet and found the paper plates setting them on the counter to be used.

“Want coffee Bobby?” Dean asked.

“I could go for a cup.”

“Alright, I’ll start a pot.”

“Caleb’s going to stay the night if that’s okay with you.”

“Fine by me, the bed in the spare room needs sheets.”

“I can handle that. Thanks Bobby. I’ll head out sometime tomorrow.”

“Stay as long as you like. You know there’s going to be more traffic tomorrow with it being Black Friday.”

“Right, I forgot about that. Maybe I’ll stay the weekend too.”

“How ‘bout a few hands of poker?” Dean asked.

“I’m game, I need to brush up on my skills,” Caleb said.

“I’ll leave you young ones to that. I need to do some research. I’ll be in my office.”

“What are we using to bet with?” Caleb asked.

“Didn’t you buy some pretzels Dean?”

“Yeah, why?”

“We need betting material, give,” Sam demanded.

“Bitch.”

“Jerk. Where are they?”

“Cabinet by the sink.”

“I’ll get the cards,” Caleb said. He left the brothers to hash it out and went to find the cards. This wasn’t the first time he had seen them fight like brothers do, and really didn’t think anything of it. He came back with the cards and took a seat at the table with his sandwich and a drink.

Sam found the pretzels and got three bowls to divide them up between the three of them. He made up a sandwich for himself and joined Caleb at the table. They waited on Dean to slice a piece of pie and pour a cup of coffee. Caleb shuffled the cards and began to deal them out in three stacks. The guys played for over an hour until Dean had won most of the pretzels from Sam and Caleb. At least what wasn’t eating. 

“Heading to bed boys, don’t stay up too late,” Bobby told them when he brought his coffee cup back to the kitchen and sat it in the sink. 

“Nite Bobby, see ya in the morning,” Dean told him.

“Nite Bobby,” Sam and Caleb said together and laughed.

“Okay, one more hand and let’s call it quits for the night. My bed is calling me,” Dean told them.

“I agree,” Sam nodded. 

“Fine with me. It’ll be nice to catch up on some sleep,” Caleb said. 

The three young hunters finished their game and put away the cards and Dean gathered his winnings into a zip lock bag before they headed upstairs for bed. Sam found sheets for Caleb in the linen closet and helped him make the bed. Dean used the bathroom first, followed by Sam and Caleb last. Dean was almost asleep by the time Sam came back into their bedroom. He stripped out of his clothes and pulled the covers back to crawl in, settling into the mattress with a satisfied sigh. It could not have been a more perfect day and one he wouldn’t forget. 

* * *

**A/N: Thanksgiving with family an** **d friends. Just what the guys needed. I do like comments. NC**


	21. Chapter 21

It was dark and cold when Dean stepped out of the bar and headed for the Impala. He had left Sam at the motel to look for another possible case. The one they had checked out turned out not to be their thing, so they were free to search out another one. The lightening was bad, and he didn’t see the shadow that moved toward him until it was too late. He started to turn when he was struck in the head and crumbled to the ground as the darkness claimed him. The figure quickly grabbed him under the arms and drug him to a car, putting him inside and tying his hands together. He drove off into the night thinking his plan was working out better than he expected. No one saw the altercation and the Impala sat silently in the dark waiting to be claimed.

Sam checked his watch again wondering where Dean was. He had gone to a bar not too far from the motel for a few beers, but Sam didn’t feel like going and offered to stay behind to find another hunt. He knew if Dean got lucky, he would at least text him so he wouldn’t worry. Sam grabbed his cell off the table and dialed his brother only to have it go to voicemail. He left a brief message but couldn’t push away the uneasy feeling he had that something was wrong. Deciding he needed to go find Dean, Sam snagged his jacket and headed out to walk to the bar. He couldn’t see wasting money on a cab and the exercise would do him good.

The parking lot was dark and most of the cars were gone by the time Sam got there. He spotted the Impala in the dim light and looked toward the front doors of the bar. He ambled toward them and pushed the doors open to step inside.

“Sorry man, we’re closing up,” the bartender called to him.

“I’m looking for my brother. He was in here earlier and his car’s still in the parking lot,” Sam told him. “He a little shorter than me, short, light brown hair, and leather jacket.”

“Sorry that could describe half the customers in here.”

“He usually orders Jack and a beer?”

“Yeah, yeah, I think I remember him now. Quiet guy. He left a little before ten, I think. Yeah, I’m sure of it. I think he played a game of pool and took off after that.”

“Did he leave with anyone?”

“Not that I remember, though several women did try but he didn’t bite.”

“Thanks,” Sam told him going back outside. He headed to the Impala and pulled out a flashlight before walking slowly around it checking it out. Something flickered in the light and he bent down to pick up Dean’s car keys that were under the driver’s side of the car. Sam’s concern shot out the roof and knew something had happened to him. He unlocked the Impala and drove it back to the motel, parking in front of their room. He pulled his cell out and called Bobby as he let himself back into the room.

_“This better be a life or death situation,”_ Bobby growled angrily. _“Do you know what time it is?”_

“I’m sorry to call so late Bobby, it’s Sam. Something’s happened to Dean. He went to a bar for a couple of drinks and he’s disappeared,” Sam rushed, panic in his voice. “I don’t know how long he’s been gone, but the bartender said he thought Dean left around ten. He never made it back to the motel. Something bad happened to him…”

“Whoa, slow down Sam. You sure he’s missing and not gone off with some young thing?”

“I found his keys under the side of the car Bobby, like he dropped them if he was attacked.”

“Where are you?”

“Northern Texas. I’m going to try and find him by astral projection. I’ll call you back. You can’t make it here in time to help, this is on me.” Sam hung up and moved to the bed to lay down. He tried to calm his racing mind so he could focus and pull himself free. It took him ten minutes to calm down enough to finally step from his body. Sam focused on Dean and wait to be pulled toward him. 

Sam suddenly found himself outside a rundown abandoned house and moved silently through the door. The inside was lit by camping lanterns casting the place in an eerie, yellowish glow. He saw his brother tied to a chair unconscious and watched as a black man stepped from the other room. By his looks, he was sure he was a hunter but couldn’t understand why he would take his brother. Did he have some beef with their Dad or had Dean crossed paths with him? Sam stayed in the shadows out of sight, even though he knew he couldn’t be seen, and watched as Dean started coming to. He jerked on his bonds and stared around him until he saw the guy step toward him.

“Was wondering when you’d wake up. Thought I might have hit you too hard,” the man offered, no concern in his voice for Dean’s pain.

“Who the hell are you?” Dean growled blinking several times to clear his vision. His head ached from being knocked out and that put him in a foul mood. 

“You probably don’t know me, but I know all about you Dean, and your brother Sammy. You see, I caught me a demon not too long ago who was very talkative after a little persuasion. He told me about these special children that were supposed to fight with the demons when they broke out of hell. They were given these special powers to make them stronger so they could help take over the world. Funny thing was, he said that the one who was going to lead them was called Sam Winchester.”

“Demons lie,” Dean spat quickly knowing who had him now.

“Could be, but I think not in this case. He was pretty convincing after I spent some time with him. So, I tried to figure out how would I find Sam, and would you believe it, you walk into the bar that I’m having a drink at. All I had to do was wait for you to come out and now I have bait to lure your brother to me.”

“You’re Gordon Walker, aren’t you?” Dean sneered as the name came back to him. “I’ve heard about you and not in a good way.”

“I’m surprised since we don’t really travel in the same circles,” Walker said. He opened his bag and pulled out four hand grenades. “Once I get my traps set up, I’ll have to give Sammy boy a quick text and photo to get him heading in this direction. He’s going to be in for a big surprise when he tries to rescue you.” He laughed loudly as Dean struggled to get free but wasn’t making any progress.

“Sam’s too smart to fall for your tricks asshole,” Dean growled hoping he was right. He knew Sam would be missing him by now and hoped he used one of his powers to find him and see the traps.

“Now, now, I have nothing against you. I’ve heard you’re a good hunter, but we can’t have your brother working with demons against humanity.” Walker took the grenades into the other room and set up his traps and came back to set out his weapons, so he’d be ready. “Smile big for the camera.” He snapped a photo of Dean with his cell and found Sam’s number to send it to him with instructions. “Now I’m not sure what I’ll do with you once Sam is taken care of. You know I can’t be looking over my shoulder all the time waiting for you to show up to revenge your brother’s death. I may have to make this a twosome and be done with it. There are more of these _special children_ out there that need to be stopped and I’m the man for the job.”

“Go to hell you sonovabitch! Let me tell you this, you kill my brother and me and I will find a way to come back and hunt you down and make you pay. If you don’t believe me, look into my eyes, you’ll see I’m telling the truth. I will end you in the most painful way possible.”

Sam flew back to his body and lay on the bed for a few minutes letting his mind and body sync up. He heard his cell chime that he had a message. He got up and retrieved it to find a photo of Dean and an address with a note giving him two hours to get there or he dies. He called Bobby and told him what he saw and that he was going to rescue Dean. Sam hung up and looked at his contacts for a moment before dialing another one.

“Dad, it’s Sam. I don’t know if you’ll get this in time, but someone named Gordon Walker has taken Dean. I’m sure he’s a hunter. He wants me and I have two hours to get to this address. If you’re anywhere near I could use some backup. I’ll do my best to save Dean; no matter what it takes.” He hung up and got up to quickly gather their things to take to the Impala so he could leave. Before packing his laptop, he pulled up directions to the address so he could find the quickest route to where Walker had Dean held captive. 

**spn**

John rolled over in bed and looked at his cell that was chiming he had a voicemail and wondered who would be calling him this late at night. He turned on the light and pulled up the voicemail to see it was from Sam. He quickly tapped play and listened to his son’s frantic voice. John couldn’t breathe for a moment as it hit him what he was saying. His sons were in trouble and he needed to get to them. He rolled from the bed and grabbed clothes to put on before stuffing his things into his duffle.

His mind was racing as he listened to it again to get the location and was shocked to find he was only a couple of hours away. He tried calling Sam but didn’t get an answer and hurried from the motel room. He threw his bags in the truck and gunned the engine as he screeched from the parking lot to the main road. John clenched the steering tightly and wished he had taken Walker out when he had the chance. If he had, his sons wouldn’t be fighting for their lives right now. He pressed harder on the gas once he was on the main road and prayed, he could get there in time to save them. Isolating himself from his boys now seemed like a petty thing and if they made it out of this, he was going to remedy that. He needed his sons, and they needed a father. 

His thoughts lingered on his youngest and John was going to make it right with him. Bobby had been right, he was a stubborn dumbass for not going to him and finding out what had happened and how he was changed. He had such tunnel vision that he couldn’t see what he was losing pushing them away. 

Hundreds of miles away, Sam was driving toward the same destination, but from a different direction. He was wound so tight he thought he was going to fly to pieces. All he could think about was seeing Dean tied to the chair and Gordon Walker threatening him because he wanted Sam. All this was happening because of him and what the demons did to him. He couldn’t let Dean die even if it meant sacrificing himself to save him. 

He pushed the Impala to its limit and past it, sensing she could take it. It was like Dean’s Baby knew he was in trouble and she needed to get to him. There wasn’t much traffic this time of night to deal with, so Sam was making good time. He planned on finding a place to leave the Impala and go in on foot so this Walker dude wouldn’t hear him coming. He would hike in and try to take him by surprise, being sure to stay away from his booby traps. Sam forced his fingers to unclench on the steering wheel and flexed them, trying to work the stiffness from them. He glanced at the gas gauge and knew he would need to stop for gas before long. That would give him time calm himself and prepare for the fight.

**spn**

Sam pulled from the main road onto an exit advertising gas and pulled into a twenty-four station. He filled up and went inside to use the restroom and grab a soda and granola bar, hoping the sugar would give him an extra boost. He was ahead of schedule and would be getting to the abandoned house with twenty minutes to spare. He hoped being early would let him sneak up on Walker and free Dean.

* * *

**A/N: Dean’s in trouble and Sam has called for help to save him. Will he be able to get Dean out in one piece? Will John get there to help? Thank you for joining me on this ride. Things will heat up in the next chapter. Comments would be great. NC**


	22. Chapter 22

Sam found a pull off and eased the Impala onto it and stopped behind some bushes. He got out and went to the trunk to arm himself. He stowed knifes on his body and checked the load of his handgun before stowing it in the small of his back. He set off in a jog the rest of the way until he had the house in sight. Sam slowed and looked around for any danger or traps before moving closer. It was hard to see by the pale moonlight that shone around him.

He knew his time was almost up and he was going to have to make his stand. Sam advanced toward the front of the abandoned house trying to be as quiet as he could. The steps were rotten, windows were broken out, shutters hung haphazardly, and boards were missing from places along the side of the house. He could see dim light coming from inside and pulled his gun before edging up on the porch, dodging the rotten steps, and to the front door. 

With a mighty kick, Sam crashed the door open and ran through it into a foyer and toward the light in the next room. He stopped short when he saw Dean being held as a shield by Walker with a wicked looking, sharp knife pressed tightly to his throat.

“Well, I have to give you credit Sam, you didn’t keep me waiting,” Walker gloated evilly. He tightened his hold on Dean as he struggled trying to talk around the gag that was shoved into his mouth. Dean stilled when he felt the knife nick his neck and felt the trickle of blood run down soaking his shirt collar. 

“Let my brother go!” Sam demanded in a slow, dangerous tone when he saw the blood on Dean’s neck. Sam’s anger doubled now that his brother’s blood had been spilled.

“You know I don’t think you have much room to bargain here Sammy, that is, if you want your brother to live.”

“It’s Sam, you don’t get to call me that,” he growled. 

“Now toss the gun away so we can have a little talk.” He pressed the knife tighter to Dean’s neck making him grunt as he tried to pull backward when the sharp blade cut a little deeper into his neck.

“Alright, alright, I’m putting it down,” Sam said uncocking the gun and tossing it to the side. He held his hands up in front of him and prepared to make his move.

Dean was watching Sam and trying to relay the message for him to shoot the asshole but stilled when he heard his brother’s voice in his head, _‘Be ready Dean’_.

“What do you want with me?” Sam asked boldly trying to keep Walker talking and letting him think he had the upper hand.

“Oh, come on _Sammy_ , I think you know. You see I had a chatty demon who told me all about how there was a war coming and there were humans that were going to fight along beside the black eyed bastards to take over the world. I want to know what the plan is and who else is involved. So, if you want to keep your brother in one piece, I suggest you answer my question,” Walker demanded. “Unless you want me to start carving body parts from him,” he mocked moving the knife around his ear nicking the ear lope.

None of the three in the house saw John sneak in the front door and stand in the shadows with his gun raised trying to get a clear shot at Walker without endangering Dean. He listened to them talking as he inched closer never taking his eyes off his target.

“It’s not happening, Azazel is dead, there’s not going to be a war. You got your facts wrong, that was old news,” Sam spat at him. He conveyed his intentions to Dean and with a flick of his hand, suddenly the knife was pulled from Walker’s hand and slid across the floor out of his reach.

Walker thought he had both the Winchesters right where he wanted them, until suddenly his knife was jerked from his hand by some unseen force. He jerked his gun from its holster and fired a shot at Sam and was stupefied when Sam waved his hand deflecting the bullet and sending it into the wall across the room.

John saw his opening and fired at Walker catching him in the chest. Walker wasn’t understanding what was going on and didn’t have time to respond as he looked down at his chest and saw the blood staining his shirt. He didn’t know who shot him until a man stepped from the shadows behind Sam. Sam threw out a wave of power and sent him stumbling backward through the open doorway behind him and into one of the traps that was meant for Sam.

With a roar of rage and disbelief, he hit the first trip wire, setting off a chain reaction causing the other grenades to explode. Sam knew what was coming and took two giant steps before launching himself at his brother. He hit him just as the explosions went off sending drywall, wooden splinters, bricks, flames, a cloud of dust, and debris outward toward them in a blast that enveloped everything in its path.

**spn**

John looked on in surprise when the knife flew from Walker’s hand and skidded across the floor. He was even more shocked as he saw Sam deflect the bullet that should have hit him in the chest and killed him. When he saw Walker was in the open, he took the shot to protect his sons. He watched Walker backpedal into the other room and moved toward his sons when suddenly the world exploded in front of him. The concussion of the blast sent him tumbling to the floor, stunned and dazed. His ears were ringing as he lay there trying to pull air into his lungs. His entire body ached as he tried to move his arms and push himself up from the floor. He needed to get to his sons was his only goal.

Sam hit his brother and his momentum carried them both to the floor as the blast swept over them. He was bombarded by the flying debris that filled the air as he covered Dean with his body trying to protect him. 

Dean had all the air knocked from his lungs as Sam plowed into him and hit hard on the floor when they went down. He lay there with the weight of his brother on him, trying to suck some air into his lungs again. He got the gag out of his mouth and started coughing and wheezing.

“S’mmy man, can’t breathe,” he squeaked out pushing on his brother’s body as he continued to cough. “C’mon dude you weight a ton,” he complained, yawning widely to try and get his ears to pop. They were ringing and he couldn’t hear how loud he was talking. “S’mmy?” Dean pushed on his brother’s limp frame for a moment and felt no resistance. 

What he hadn’t seen was the chunk of brick that slammed into Sam’s head as they were falling. It ripped a gash in his scalp, causing it to pour blood, and knocked him unconscious. He used his hand to turn Sam’s head and felt wetness on it. When he got his eyes focused enough to see, he saw his hand was stained red with his brother’s blood. “Sam?” Dean worked on pushing his body to the side and off him so he could get a deep breath and tensed when a figure stumbled toward him. “Dad?”

“Dean are you and Sam alright?” John asked kneeling down beside them. He covered his mouth from the dust and smoke filling the place.

“What? Can’t hear?” Dean said slowly pointing to his ears as he coughed again.

“I know the ringing will stop. Are. You. Hurt?”

“I’m okay but Sammy’s been hurt,” Dean said louder than needed. 

“Let me look,” John said. He moved Sam’s body onto his back and tried to see his injuries by the flames that surrounded them. “We need to get out of here, this place could come down any minute. Can you walk?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

John grabbed Sam’s arms and hefted him up and over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry and then grabbed Dean’s arm to steer them toward what was left of the front door. Once outside in the clean air, John eased Sam’s limp body to the ground and drew in some fresh breaths before a bout of coughing had him leaning over beside Sam, hacking up what was trapped in his lungs and spitting it out. 

“My car’s got to be around here. We need to get him to a hospital and have his head wound checked.” Dean had his hands resting on his knees, bent over, as he pulled the cold air into his lungs. He wheezed and hacked up some phylum, spitting it to the side trying to clear his throat. 

“It’s just down the road. I parked beside it. There’s a town about fifteen miles from here where we should be able to find a hospital.”

“You stay here with Sam, and I’ll go get the Impala,” Dean told him as he stumbled, weaving uncontrollably for a moment before getting steady.

“Maybe I should go.”

“No, I’ll be okay,” Dean huffed rubbing his head before heading down the road. There was a half-moon out giving him some light to see as he staggered over the rough road. Ten minutes later, he saw his Dad’s truck and then the Impala. He hurried toward it, found the spare key, unlocked it, and dropped into the seat. He cranked her up and pulled out to head back to the burning house.

**spn**

John knelt by his son and reached to check his pulse as he pressed a bandanna to his head wound. He felt it beating erratically under his fingertips. “Hang on Sam, Dean’s getting the car.”

Sam moaned in pain as he tried to roll his head and winced with the pounding behind his eyes. He worked to force his eyes open but couldn’t. His ears were ringing, and he felt a hand on his shoulder that wasn’t his brothers. He tried to lift his arm to fight but could barely get it off the ground.

“Lay still Sam, you’ve been hurt,” John told him pressing his hand to his chest to still him.

“De…” Sam tried to say feeling his hands around and trying to push himself up.

“He’s okay, you saved him. Dean went to get the car.”

Sam made his eyes open and tried to bring the face in front of him into focus. He blinked several times to clear it and was shocked to see his father staring at him with worry and concern on his face. “Dad?” he gasped before the blackness overtook him once again and he passed out.

John looked up when he heard the rumble of the Impala coming their way and stood waiting for Dean to get closer before stopping. He went to the backdoor of the Impala and opened it so they could maneuver Sam onto the backseat. He climbed into the passenger seat and waited for Dean to drive back down the road to his truck. 

“He came to for a minute and passed back out,” John told him. “I think he might have a concussion and pretty sure he needs stitches for the head wound. You know how they bleed.”

“You lead, I’ll be right behind you,” Dean said pulling to a stop by John’s truck.

“Alright, stay close,” John told him as he got out and moved to his truck. He quickly got in and cranked it, pulling in front of Dean and heading for a main road. He kept his eyes on the lights behind him as he sped toward the town he had passed earlier. 

Fifteen minutes later, John was slowing as he pulled into the outskirts of the town and started looking for signs for a hospital. He heard Dean beep his horn and flash his lights that he had found it. He turned around and followed Dean down a street that led toward the center of town. John spotted the signs and lights of the hospital and saw Dean turn down a side street toward the emergency room. 

**spn**

“Help, my brother needs some help!” Dean yelled through the automatic doors before going back to his car.

Two orderlies hurried out with a gurney and got Sam loaded onto it and pushed him toward the doors. Dean and John hurried after them and followed them into cubicle cordoned off with curtains.

“What have we got here?” a doctor asked as she stepped into the room along with a nurse.

“He was hit in the head by a brick. He’s been unconscious since then.”

“He came to for a minute and recognized me and passed back out,” John added.

“What is his name?”

“Sam, Sam Winchester,” Dean replied watching closely everything that was being done to Sam.

“Get Mr. Winchester’s vitals and we need an MRI stat of his head for any trauma to the brain. Order a full blood panel and we need to check for any other injuries,” she said as she used a light to check his pupils. “Is he allergic to any medications?”

“No, not that I know of,” Dean answered watching the nurses moving quickly around Sam getting vitals, starting an IV and pressing sterile gauze to the head wound to stanch the bleeding.

“If you two will step out to the waiting area, there’s some paperwork you’ll need to fill out. We’ll let you know when he’s back from radiology.”

One of the nurses led Dean and John back out and to a waiting area beside the rooms. She brought some paperwork and handed it to John, but Dean took it and started to fill it out. He wrote quickly and with strong, broad strokes. When he was finished, he took the clipboard to the nurse’s station and came to sit back by John.

“How did you find us?” Dean asked breaking the silence between them. He was still pissed at John for staying away like he had and couldn’t stop it from showing.

“Sam left me a voicemail that you had been kidnapped and as luck would have it, I was in a motel a few hours away. I packed up and headed out to help,” John told him.

“You should have come to see Sam before now, or at least called us,” Dean growled. His anger was showing in his body language, his tone, and the hardness of his eyes. “Why didn’t you?”

John bowed his head, ashamed of his actions and tried to get his thoughts in order so he could answer his son. He clenched his hands into fists for a moment before making them relax as he tried to still his mind. Before he could answer, a nurse came out to say Sam was back from radiology and they could go back again. Dean was on his feet and following her back with John close behind him.

Dean stepped through the curtain to see Sam in the bed with the head slightly raised. Sam opened his eyes and looked toward him giving him a weak smile.

“Hi ya Sammy, how ya feeling?” Dean cooed, going to the side of the bed and taking Sam’s hand in his own. It felt cool and he gripped back weakly.

“Been better,” he mumbled, closing his eyes and wincing slightly. He opened them back and realized there was someone else in the room and tried to focus on the person.

“Hello son,” John said warily, not sure how Sam was going to react.

“Dad?” Sam questioned glancing at Dean to be sure he wasn’t seeing things.

“He showed up when the fireworks happened,” Dean told him to answer his silent question. “How did you know about the grenades?”

“I _saw_ him setting the traps,” Sam whispered not looking at their father as he said it, knowing Dean would understand.

Before he could continue, the doctor stepped into the small room. “Gentleman, I am Dr. Marsh,” she introduced herself to Dean and John. “Mr. Winchester how are you feeling?”

“Head hurts,” Sam told her. “Feel like I was run over by a semi.”

“The MRI does show you have a concussion, but I see no injury to your brain, no swelling or bleeding which is good. We did put six stitches in your head wound to close it. I don’t think you’ll have any problems with it if you keep it clean. We’d like to keep you here under observation for the rest of the day to be on the safe side. I have written up an order for pain meds when you need them. You’ll stay here unless the space is needed. You’re going to have a headache for a few days and may be dizzy or have blurred vision with the injury. You’ll need to rest and take it easy for at least a week. Are there any questions for me?” Dr. Marsh explained and questioned getting straight to the point.

“I don’t think so,” Sam replied, his voice weak and rough. “Thanks.”

“Are you injured?” she asked Dean when she saw the fresh blood on the side of his neck and ear.

“It’s nothing, just a scratch,” Dean said bringing his hand up to feel. He had forgotten that Walker had nicked him a couple of times and it had bled. 

“I’ll have a nurse come in and clean it and put a bandage on it,” she said before leaving.

“Thanks,” Dean said. He pulled a chair to Sam’s bed and sat down close to him. 

John moved to the other chair that was farther away and sat down, not feeling comfortable being close to Sam. He could see the uncertainty and haunted look in his eyes when Sam looked at him. He sat quietly and watched his sons interact. He could see the love and need to protect coming from Dean toward his brother. 

“Okay who had a boo-boo?” a nurse asked smiling happily, when she stepped into the room looking at John and Dean.

“Me,” Dean answered.

“Let’s see what we have,” she said sitting items on a small table and turning to him.

Dean leaned his head slightly sideways so she could look at the cut. She tore open some wipes and gently began to clean the wound. Once she had the blood cleaned away, she put some gel on it and put a small pad, taping it in place. She wiped his ear and dabbed a little antibiotic gel there too but it didn’t need a bandage.

“So, keep it clean and apply antibiotic cream for a few days and you should be okay.”

“Thanks,” Dean nodded.

“If you need anything just let us know. We’ll be in to check your vitals in thirty minutes Mr. Winchester. With a concussion we’ll be checking you every hour to be sure things remain the same.”

“Okay, I know the drill,” he replied. This was not his first concussion in his hunting career and was not looking forward to the constant monitoring.

“You should try and rest, and you can have more pain meds in a few hours if you need them. So, just let us know.”

“I will.”

“She’s right Sammy, try and get some sleep. I’ll be right here,” Dean said resting a hand on Sam’s arm.

“Dad,” Sam said getting John’s attention. “Thanks for coming; if you want to leave you can.” His head was pounding too hard for him to use his powers to see what John was thinking right now.

Dean glared at John waiting for his response and if he was going to need to run interference. He wasn’t having Sam in any more emotional pain than he already was in.

“I think I’ll stay son,” John told him, startling both of them. “I wanna be sure you’re okay.”

Sam looked relieved and surprised with his response but didn’t question it. Dean sat back in his chair and let his body relax slightly. 

“Why don’t you come back to Bobby’s with us?” Sam suggested in a tentative voice. “Someone needs to call Bobby and let him know we’re okay.”

John looked up at him and saw the hopeful look in his eyes. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea. It’s time we sat down and talked. I’ve put this off too long and for all the wrong reasons.” He wanted his sons back. “I’ll give Bobby a call for you. I’ll just step out and do that.” John got up and moved from the cubicle to make the call in private.

* * *

**A/N: The family is back together for now. Will it stay that way? Thank you for coming with me on this journey. Only two more chapters and the ride will be over. Comments do make my day. NC**


	23. Chapter 23

“Are you ready to get out of here Mr. Winchester?” a nurse asked as she steered a wheelchair into the curtained room and to Sam’s bed.

“Yes,” Sam answered. He was sitting up in bed, his eyes still weak and his head still hurting, but he was ready to leave the hospital. He had slept off and on in between being woke up and checked by the nurses. They had kept him most of the day until the doctor finally decided he could be released. It was late afternoon now and Sam was anxious to be on his way.

“Here’s your discharge paperwork and a prescription for pain meds you can have filled in case you need them,” she explained. “If you have any issues, follow up with your family doctor. Your stitches are dissolving ones, so you won’t need to worry about having them removed. Do you have any questions before you leave?”

“No, I’m good, thanks,” Sam replied taking the paperwork. He carefully got up and took a seat in the wheelchair. 

“Shall we go then?” she asked steering him from the room. 

John walked beside them to the doors and saw Dean had pulled the Impala to the side and was waiting on them. He opened the passenger door and waited as the nurse wheeled the chair to the car and put on the breaks. Sam shifted himself from the chair and eased into the seat trying to get comfortable. He was glad the sun was almost down since the bright light hurt his eyes. 

“Here, thought you might need these,” Dean said holding out a pair of sunglasses.

“Thanks,” Sam said taking the glasses and putting them on.

“You want to drive for a few hours and find a motel for the night?” John asked Dean knowing neither were in any shape to drive straight through.

“Yeah, sounds good. We’ll follow you,” Dean answered heading around to the driver’s side.

John walked down the sidewalk toward where his truck was parked and listened to the familiar roar of the Impala when Dean cranked her. He smiled to himself as she crept along behind him and stopped when he got to his truck. It brought back fond memories of a happier time when Mary was still alive. He thought back on the day he had been looking for a vehicle and remembered a guy telling him he should buy it. As he thought about it, the stranger seemed so familiar, but he couldn’t place him. 

John started his truck and pulled from the parking lot checking to see that Dean was following him. He got on the main road and followed it out of town toward the interstate to head north toward Sioux Falls. He was going to drive for maybe three hours and find a place for them to eat and get a motel room for the night. He didn’t want Sam to get too tired with the drive and knew they all needed a good night’s sleep after spending all day in the emergency room.

**spn**

They had been driving for about three hours and Dean looked over at his brother trying to discern his appearance in the moonlight shining down on them. He didn’t think Sam looked too good and hoped John planned on stopping soon. He was relieved when John signaled to exit the interstate which meant they were going to stop for the night. 

“Sammy, how ya doing?” he asked as he slowed the Impala to take the exit.

“I’m fine,” Sam’s weakened voice replied.

Once they stopped at the office for a motel, Dean turned to look closely at his brother. His face was pale and pinched, and he looked like he might puke at any moment.

“Why didn’t you tell me to stop sooner?” Dean chastised him. He reached over to feel his forehead and thought it felt warm.

“I didn’t want to be a bother,” Sam said looking down at his hands curled in his lap.

“You’re going straight to bed as soon as Dad gets the rooms.” Dean looked toward the office door and could see John inside doing the necessary paperwork and paying. When he came back out, Dean followed him around the building and parked beside him in front of two rooms.

“I got you a double and I have a single beside you,” John noted when he got out.

“Wanna get our room opened? Sammy needs to lie down,” Dean said. He hurried around the car and grabbed Sam’s arm as he wobbled on unsteady legs. “C’mon bro, let’s get you inside and laying down.”

“Anything I can do?” John asked as he held the door for Dean. He watched him gently lower his brother to one of the queen beds and mumble something to him.

“Why don’t you go get some food, I don’t think Sammy needs to be out in public. I’ll stay with him.”

“Alright, I’ll see if they have some broth or something light for him,” John nodded before closing the door.

Dean went into the bathroom and wet a washcloth with cold water. He came back out and laid it across Sam’s forehead. “I’ll get the bags and get you some pain meds.” He headed out and snagged their bags from the trunk and stopped by the vending machines to grab a couple of waters for them.

**spn**

Sam tried to relax, but the throbbing in his head was making it impossible. He hadn’t felt that bad when he left the hospital, but after an hour of riding in the car, he could feel himself slipping. It was like the steady roar of the engine and the motion of the car made him feel nauseated and made his head hurt worse. He didn’t want to say anything to make them stop sooner because he wanted to get to Bobby’s. 

He was excited and frightened, all at the same time, that John was coming with them. Maybe if he could make him see he was still Sam, his son, with just a few modifications, he would be able to accept him. He tried not to think on that when a cold cloth was put on his forehead startling him, and he heard his brother’s voice. He let the coldness seep into his head and sighed in relief, hoping it would help with the headache.

“Here Sammy, take theses,” Dean said. He took Sam’s hand and dropped two pills into it and waited as he lifted his head enough to take the pills and water to wash them down. Once the pills were taken and Sam drank a few more sips of water, he carefully laid his head back on the pillow and pushed the cloth back in place. 

There was a knock on the door a little later, and Dean opened it to let John come it with bags of food and drink. He sat them on the table and began to remove the food items, dividing them up.

“I got Sam some crackers and soup,” John offered pushing them toward Dean thinking he should be the one to give them to Sam.

“Thanks,” Dean replied. He opened the cup of soup and tried a small sip deciding it was too hot and fished an ice cube from his drink to drop into it. He stirred it with a straw and tried it again before going to the bed and sitting down beside Sam. “Dad got you some soup and crackers. Think you can try and eat something?”

“Don’t know,” Sam mumbled weakly, partly opening his eyes to look at him.

“You need to try, what you got in the hospital wasn’t much and you’ve gotta be hungry. You need to eat to get your strength back.”

“I’ll try,” Sam sighed, letting Dean adjust his pillows so he could sit up enough to try and eat. 

“Just take it slow bro.”

“If he feels like more after that, I got a turkey sandwich for him too,” John offered.

“You good bro?” Dean asked watching Sam tear open the crackers and taking a bite of one.

“Yeah, go eat ‘fore your food gets cold,” Sam said. He chewed the bite and tentatively took a sip of the broth. His stomach growled and complained but didn’t seem upset by the food. He continued to eat the remaining crackers and drank part of the soup before stopping. He slid back down on the bed and closed his eyes feeling slightly better with some food in his stomach and hoped the meds would kick in soon.

“Is he okay?” John whispered as he looked over at the bed.

“Yeah, it’s the aftereffects of the concussion, I’ve seen it before,” Dean replied. He dipped a fry into a blob of ketchup before taking a bite. 

John fell silent and ate to cover up his awkwardness. He didn’t know what to say to his own son and that bothered him. They were never a touchy, feely family and had learned long ago to avoid showing your emotions so you wouldn’t be seen as weak. He looked over at Dean’s neutral face and couldn’t read anything. He had gotten very good at hiding his feelings from the world. The only one that could ever see them was Sam and even then, Dean would put up a wall so strong even he couldn’t see. 

“I won’t let you hurt Sam,” Dean said in a low growl. “Not emotionally or physically.” He wanted their father to understand Sam had gone through enough and he was in a good head space right now and didn’t want that destroyed. 

“I wouldn’t hurt him,” John replied shocked he would even think that. “He’s still my son.”

Dean looked over to the bed to be sure Sam was resting okay and wasn’t hearing what they were saying. “Why don’t we move to your room for this conversation? Sammy doesn’t need to be hearing it.” Dean grabbed a motel message pad and scribbled a short note he was next door with Dad and left it propped against the water bottle on the nightstand. He saw Sam had dozed off and moved quietly so not to wake him. He draped a blanket over his body before stepping to the door.

John got up and threw away his trash before following his son out the door. He went to the room next door and opened it allowing them entrance. After turning on the lights, John moved to the table and took a seat figuring Dean would join him.

“So, say your peace, I’m listening,” John stated when Dean dropped into a chair across from him.

Dean looked at him with hard eyes before speaking, “You say Sammy’s still your son, well damnit, you need to act like it. Sammy’s been through a lot since he left and he’s just now starting to get over it. He doesn’t need you rejecting him again like in the hospital. That almost broke him.”

“So, tell me, what happened to him? I know the demons had to have taken Sam for him to be able to kill Azazel. What did they do to him? Where did these powers, these things he can do come from?”

Dean thought how to respond to his father. He wanted him to understand what Sam had endured under the demon’s hands but also wondered if he should be the one telling him. Should he wait and let Sam do it? He really didn’t want Sam to have to live through that experience again, because he knew whether he told or showed it, he would feel it in his soul. Thinking only of how to help his brother, Dean wet his lips before speaking. 

“You’re right, the demons kidnapped him from the bus station,” Dean started, his facial expression going hard. “Azazel was moving up the timetable on his plan and wanted Sam to break and for him to be the one to lead his army of demons. He was possessed and made to drink demon blood to activate his powers and make them stronger. But you see, Missouri told us that Sam had most of these powers since birth, the demons didn’t give them to him.” Dean paused and looked at John to see his face had paled and he started wide eyed at him. “Sam was able to control them enough that he could kill demons. He confronted Yellow Eyes and crushed his black ass soul. He got away from them and started training himself wanting to do something good with his abilities. He’s still Sammy, your son, my brother, just a different version of him.”

“I saw what he did in that house,” John said softly. “He saved your life with his powers.”

“Yeah and he saved yours when the ghouls had you. Missouri says how he saw you then, are visions of future events and the other is telekinesis, he can move things with his mind. He found where Walker had me by astral projection. There are some others he’s been working on, but that’s a moot point. If you can’t accept Sammy the way he is now, well, you might as well pack it up and leave right now.” Dean didn’t mince words and he wasn’t going to let their father cause Sam anymore heartache than he already had. He was going to protect Sam anyway he could and if that meant sending their father away, then so be it. 

John sat back in his chair and tried to digest what Dean had told him. His son was who the demons called _‘Boy King’_ and they feared him because he could end their sorry lives. He had visions and could move things with his mind and no telling what else. He was shocked to hear that he had been born with the powers and wondered if that is why he had been singled out by the demons in the first place.

“I understand your doubt in me after the way I’ve acted, I’m not proud of that. I can’t change the past, but I’d like to try and change the future. I want you boys back in my life and to do that I need to have a talk with Sammy. I was seeing all the negative and bad things and not thinking about the good. I’ll not desert either of you again.”

Dean studied his father as he talked looking for signs of lying or deceit but didn’t see any. He seemed to be sincere in wanting to be in their lives again and Dean knew this would make Sam happy. All he wanted was that for him, to be happy.

“Alright, I better get back and check Sammy,” Dean said. The conversation was over for him, as far as he was concerned but he was still going to be wary of his father until he was sure things were good between them.

“I’ll see you in the morning son,” John nodded. He watched Dean leave the room and the door close behind him. He wiped a hand down his face and sagged in the chair from the confrontation with his son. This was a lot to take in, learning just how powerful Sam was and could be. He knew there would be others out there like Walker who would just as soon kill Sam and think nothing of it. He was exhausted and needed to rest after what they had been through.

John knew if he wanted his boys back in his life, he would have to change his way of thinking and compromise with them. Sam was a part of Mary and that kept her memory alive for him. It might be hard at first, but he was determined to show Sam he did care about and love him even if he had developed psychic powers. How could he love him less because of that? He could still see the little boy in him, especially when he slept, and he was going to try to be the father he needed.

* * *

**A/N: John is coming around now and one more chapter and this journey will be over. I hope you have enjoyed this AU and will join me for the next story of this trilogy, _Devil’s Gate_. I do like comments. NC**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: We have come to the end of our journey and I hope you have enjoyed it. The next story will be up in a few days called, _Devil’s Gate._ I hope you will come along for the journey and see what happens next with the Winchester brothers. I do like comments if you could leave one. NC**

* * *

It was late afternoon when John pulled into the salvage yard with Dean close behind him. It had taken longer since John thought it was a good idea to stop more often so Sam could walk around and stretch. He seemed better after sleeping through the night and eating some breakfast. Sam said he still had a dull headache, but it was going away. 

“Am I glad to get here,” Dean groaned as he got out and popped his back and stretched it. “You doing okay Sammy?”

“Yeah, just need to use the bathroom,” Sam said walking stiffly toward the house with a pained look on his face.

Dean looked toward the garage and saw Bobby coming from there heading their way. He waited on the porch with John for him. Bobby looked at father and son as he got closer and could see the stiffness in Dean and the slump of John’s shoulders. He knew from John’s call that they were all coming back here, and John was finally going to talk to Sam.

“Dean, John, good to see you, where’s Sam?” Bobby greeted them looking for the youngest Winchester.

“Bathroom,” Dean supplied. 

“Well, don’t just stand out here in the cold, go on in. Not sure if the coffee’s still hot, but you can start a new pot Dean.”

“Alright,” he replied. 

The three filed into the house to meet Sam coming down the stairs. Bobby looked over at him and could tell immediately by his facial expression and weak eyes he had been hurt. Dean had told him he got a concussion from being hit on the head, but it wasn’t serious.

“Sam, good to see you. How ya holding up?”

“Still have a dull headache, but it’s better than yesterday. Doc said I needed to take it easy for a few days and not push myself.”

“Then you better do what the doctor says. Dean said a hunter took him to use as bait to get you, is that right?”

“Yeah, someone named Gordon Walker. He was a mean asshole. His soul was black, and he was full of rage and anger,” Sam stated stiffly.

“I’ve heard some nasty things about him, but never hunted with him. You were lucky you weren’t hurt worst.”

“Oh, Walker didn’t do that, Sam didn’t duck when he should have and a flying piece of brick from the explosion nailed him on the side of the head,” Dean offered ignoring Sam’s bitch face.

“What explosion? Seems you left a few tidbits of information out Dean,” Bobby chastised him.

“Sammy can tell you; I was too busy concentrating on the knife pressed to my throat.” Dean pulled the can of coffee from the cabinet and began to fix a pot of coffee.

“Go ahead Sam, what happened?” Bobby asked.

Sam had taken a seat at the table and looked up and realized he was in the spotlight. He swallowed hard and wet his lips not sure he wanted to talk about it in from of John. He wasn’t sure how much John saw at the house and didn’t want to have the same reaction again as in the hospital, the first time. 

“It’s okay Sam, go ahead,” John encouraged when he saw Sam cast a look his way and quickly drop it. He saw the uncertainty in his eyes and wanted to ease his mind. He knew it would take some hard work to win back the trust of his sons and he might as well start now. John knew he needed to hear what Sam was about to say.

“Dean went to a bar and I stayed at the motel to search for another hunt since the one we were checking out was a bust. He never came back and I went looking for him. I found the car at the bar but no sign of Dean. I went back to the motel and used astral projection to find him, hoping I wouldn’t interrupt some one-night stand. I found him tied up in an abandoned house and Walker talking to him. I saw him set the traps for me and came back as he was sending me a message and picture of Dean.” Sam stopped for a moment and gladly accepted the water Dean sat at his elbow and sipped on it. “I called Dad and left a voicemail to see if he was near to help and called you. When I got to the place, Walker had Dean at knife point using him as a shield. He got info from a demon about me and I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn’t listen. I knocked the knife from his hand and deflected a bullet he fired at me. I guess Dad shot him as I threw him into the room that had the traps and he tripped one. That set the others off and blew the place up. I got knocked in the head like Dean said and ended up at the hospital. Walker didn’t make it.”

“Sounds like you boys are lucky to get out of that in one piece. I don’t think anyone is going to miss him, so I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“Who wants coffee?” Dean asked when the pot dinged it was ready.

“Sounds good,” John answered.

“Pour me one too son,” Bobby replied.

“Here you go,” Dean said. He sat the cups on the table and looked at Sam. “You need any pain meds?”

“I think I’m good. It’s not that bad,” Sam told him.

“Sammy, you don’t need to suffer, if you need it, take it. Try just one and see how it does.”

“I guess you’re right,” Sam sighed. He got up and shuffled off into the other room to find the pills in his bag.

“What if I head into town and get dinner for us. Don’t think any of you feel like cooking tonight,” Bobby suggested.

“Yeah, probably a good idea,” Dean nodded.

“Why don’t you come with me Dean?”

Dean looked over at Bobby as his brow knitted together. It wasn’t said, but he knew what Bobby was trying to do. He was giving Sam and John time alone to talk, but he wasn’t sure if Sam was strong enough to do this yet. 

“Go on Dean, I’ll be fine,” Sam said from behind him. He had heard Bobby talking and knew what he was doing too. Sam was nervous and unsure, but he wanted to do this, and it would be easier if Dean wasn’t here.

“You sure Sammy?” Dean asked glancing at his father giving him a _‘you better not hurt Sammy,’_ look before looking back at him.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” he assured him.

“Might as well stop at the store while we’re in town and pick up a few things,” Bobby told Dean as he steered him from the room and toward the front door. “He’ll be okay son,” he whispered when they were outside. “Your brother is stronger than you think.”

**spn**

Sam made sure they were gone before turning to his father and preparing himself for what was coming. He had wanted this for so long, but it was scary now that it was happening. They sat there in silence for what seemed like forever, because neither knew where to start the conversation. Finally, after twenty minutes and several torn napkins later, Sam finally spoke first.

“So, Dad, what do you want to know?” Sam asked not sure where to begin as he gave him a sidelong glance. He wanted to read him but was afraid of what he’d see.

“First, I want to apologize to you for how I reacted in the hospital that day. It just caught me by surprise when you told us you killed Yellow Eyes, and I guess I was confused, angry, scared, and not sure what to think. Maybe I was a little jealous that you did what I couldn’t do and killed the Demon that killed your Mom. I had caught a demon and questioned him about Yellow Eyes and found out he had been killed by a powerful force they called the _‘Boy King’_ ,” John paused for a moment as he cleared his throat. “When I realized the demon had been talking about you, I was horrified and concerned that you had been changed in some way and was turning evil.” John stopped and sipped his coffee gathering his thoughts. He wanted to be honest with Sam and hoped to mend the rips in their relationship. “I wasn’t thinking straight, blame some of it on my injuries but I couldn’t see past my own fears and see you hadn’t changed. I’m sorry I drove you away to deal with this on your own.”

“I felt your thoughts in the hospital, you were scared of me and wasn’t sure if I was still your son,” Sam said softly as he worried with the label on the water bottle.

“I can’t change the past Sam, and yes, I was scared at first and confused about it all. I shouldn’t have put this conversation off as long as I did. I think I was ashamed of my actions and wasn’t sure if I could face you and your brother. I didn’t know if you wanted to see me again or not. Bobby tried to talk to me, but I was to hardheaded to listen to him. I know it might take some time for you to trust me again, but I hope you will give me the chance”

“I understand Dad. It was hard on me at first too. I had these…Powers and had no idea how to use them or control them. Once I finally accepted what had happened and that there was no way to get rid of them…I decided to use them to my advantage and started training myself and researching different psychic powers. I didn’t know what I could do, so I experimented, trying to test my skills. It was slow learning since I didn't know what I was really dealing with. I'm just happy Missouri was able to help me.”

“Dean told me basically what happened. The demons kidnapped you, possessed you and made you drink demon blood. If I could’ve stopped that or took your place, I would have. It makes me sick to know what you went through and I could do nothing to stop it. At first, I didn’t want to believe that those things happened to you. I saw you save your brother’s life back there at the house and stop Walker. If you hadn’t had your powers both of you might be dead right now. What you did was…”

“Weird, freaky, bizarre, unnatural,” Sam furnished for him.

“I wouldn’t use those words, more like astounding, amazing and proud. You turned something that could be bad into something good. You didn’t let it change who you are and what you believe. I should have seen that and known that you were strong enough to handle this **. I am** proud of you son,” John said with sincerity.

Sam couldn’t believe he was hearing those words from his father. He was proud of him and not rejecting him. Tears blurred his vision and he couldn’t stop the soft sob from escaping his lips. He felt hands pulling him up into a hug and strong arms wrapping around his body. Sam hugged him back and let the tears flow as he buried his face into his father’s neck. He took in the familiar smells that took him back to his childhood and the times he cuddled in his father’s arms feeling safe and loved.

John saw Sam’s eyes tear up and watched as he started breaking down. He couldn’t sit still and went to him, pulling Sam into his embrace and holding him tight. He felt Sam return his hug and could feel the wetness of the tears on his neck as Sam let himself go. John rubbed his back and cupped the back of his neck, massaging it like he used to do when he was young and needed comforting. He couldn’t stop his own tears from falling and kicked himself for waiting so long to do this. Maybe he was a coward and dumbass like Bobby said, but he was going to change that, starting right now. He was going to support both his sons and do whatever he could to keep them safe and be in their lives. He looked over Sam’s shoulder as the door opened and Dean hurried in looking toward them. He stopped short as he took in the scene before stepping back out the door to allow them some privacy.

“Are you okay Sammy?” John asked him as Sam pulled away and wiped his face.

“Yeah, Dad, I am,” Sam replied sniffing and clearing his throat.

“You’ll have to explain to me what you can do, but that can wait until tomorrow or whenever you feel like talking some more.”

“Alright, I can do that.”

“Why don’t you go tell your brother he can come in now?” John chuckled.

“Is he back?” Sam asked looking toward the door.

“Yes, I’m sure he’s anxious to see if you’re okay.”

“I’ll do that. And Dad, I’m glad we had this talk and that you can accept me like I am now,” Sam told John before heading for the front door.

**spn**

The meal was finished, and Sam was putting away leftovers while the others finished their dessert, when the sharp pain struck, and he slid to his knees by the sink. 

“S’mmy?” Dean cried out and was at his side in an instance, grabbing his face to look into his eyes. He could see the intense pain in them and knew what was happening. “Don’t fight it, let it come,” he coached him as Sam moaned in pain.

“What’s going on?” John questioned getting up too. “Dean, what’s happening to Sam?”

“He’s having a vision,” Dean told him without looking up. “Breath bro; remember what Missouri taught you. Go with it and let yourself see it.”

Sam nodded he understood since he couldn’t say anything as he forced his breathing to slow and watched the vision take shape in his mind. He focused on what was going on and tried to memorize the events happening. He could feel someone supporting him and the familiar touch of his brother as he gently massaged his tense neck. When it was finally over with, Sam collapsed into Dean sitting him back on his butt as he took his weight.

“Whoa Sammy, easy there,” Dean said catching himself before he ended up flat on the floor.

“Here Sam; let me help,” John offered getting him under the arms and helping him to stand long enough to get him to a chair.

“Need paper and pen,” Sam rasped out as he tried to focus his eyes again. 

Bobby grabbed them from a drawer and put the items in front of Sam. They all watched as he scribbled as fast as he could write filling several sheets of paper and part of another before stopping. 

“Drink this son,” Bobby offered sitting a shot glass in his hand with a small amount of whiskey in it.

Sam felt the glass being put in his hand and heard the words drink. He brought the glass to his lips with a shaky hand and downed the whiskey, coughing lightly as it burned his throat. He took several deep breaths before looking up at Dean with fearful eyes.

“What did you see Sammy?”

Sam cleared his throat and looked down at what he had written, barely able to make out his shaky handwriting.

“I saw railroad tracks that encircled a graveyard. I think it’s somewhere in Wyoming. I saw a battered, broken sign as the vision faded that had Wy-ng on it. A demon was there with white eyes and several others with black eyes. There was a guy with them who was human. He walked into the graveyard alone. I don’t think the demons could follow him. In the middle of the place was a tomb with a strange door, like none I’ve ever seen. He pulled out this gun. It wasn’t a normal gun, but something different. The guy took the gun and inserted the barrel into an opening on the tomb door and turned it. It was like some key and wheels began to spin, and cogs moved and suddenly the door opened and beings from hell began to pour out. There were hundreds of them going in every direction. Some headed for the demon with the white eyes and broke through the railroad tracks. This allowed him to enter the graveyard and he went to the guy with the gun. That’s it, that’s all I saw,” Sam sighed feeling weak and drained.

“Did this gun look maybe old fashioned like what they used in the wild west?” John asked with interest.

“Yeah, I think so,” Sam replied looking over at him. “Why? Do you know something?”

“I’ve been looking for that gun for years. It was what I was going to use to kill the Yellow Eyed Demon.”

“Are you talking about the Colt?” Bobby asked.

“Yes.”

“Tell us what you know,” Dean insisted. He accepted the shot of whiskey pushed his way as he waited for John to answer.

“Rumor has it that back in the 1800’s Samuel Colt made a special handgun that had supernatural powers. It was said this gun could kill anything supernatural. Over the years, the gun was lost and would show up only to disappear again. Most believed it was fake and didn’t take stock in it, but I believe differently. I think it’s out there and I’ve been looking for it. I’ve got Ash working on finding any leads on it right now. He has all the research I have done over the years and is trying to track who might have it now,” John explained.

“So, what did this gun open?” Dean asked.

“If I was to wager a guess, I’d say a Devil’s Gate,” Bobby replied. “At least that’s what it sounds like from Sam’s description.”

“Alright, so we know this cemetery is in Wyoming, that’s a start?” Dean asked noticing Sam was getting tired.

“I think I have some research that we can look at,” John offered. 

“I think we have some time before this happens,” said Sam, rubbing his temples and wincing in pain. “I know it’s not going to happen now because there were leaves on the trees and the weather report said Wyoming just got hit with a snowstorm and dumped nearly ten inches of snow across it. Missouri said visions were not always of things that would be happening in a few days, they could be of events in the distant future.”

“Okay, enough for tonight, you need to rest, we can continue this discussion tomorrow,” Dean insisted.

“Your brother’s right, why don’t you two go on upstairs and turn in?” John agreed. “We’ll talk more about this tomorrow.”

“We’ve got to stop this from happening. I don’t know who this white eyed demon is, but he’s powerful and he’s very dangerous,” Sam said. 

“So, you think it may be spring when this happens?” John asked.

“I guess,” Sam replied wiping a shaking hand down his face. He slumped forward drained from the vision.

“Then that means the demons don’t have the Colt either, but they’re looking for it. We’ll need to find it before they do.”

“C’mon Sammy, let’s go to bed,” Dean urged helping him up and steering him toward the stairs. He looked back over his shoulder at the others and saw the worried look on their faces knowing they were thinking the same thing as he was.

There was a new monster out there that they needed to stop before he could carry out whatever evil plan he had in store for this world. It was just another day in the life of the Winchesters. 

**The End**

**TBC Devil’s Gate**

  
  



End file.
